Where Eagles Dare to Fly
by SciFiSGFan
Summary: The SECOND in a series on the life of Major Evan Lorne in a parallel and sometimes alternate reality. In order to fully grasp the content of this story/series of chapters, it is important that you have read "Lucky Dog" first. Thanks
1. Seaworthy

_**Where Eagles Dare to Fly**_

The second in a series on the life of Major Evan Lorne in a parallel and sometimes alternative reality.

Welcome to my second set of chapters, entitled _**Where Eagles Dare to Fly**_, in a larger story on the life of Major Evan Lorne. I have chosen to write the good Major into an alternate reality than he is portrayed in the series _Stargate Atlantis_. Therefore there will undoubtedly be character changes to him as well as some of the other original characters that some of you may find disturbing or in the least unsettling from what is considered normal. I don't own these characters but hope that the powers that be don't mind my taking liberties with their personalities. If you reference back to the beginning of _**Lucky Dog**_, you will find that I stated there my apologies.

But for those who don't remember or who have not read it yet, I'd like to restate my quote from earlier: If you don't like what I have written, _you're welcome to click the little X in the upper right corner._ I hope you won't, though. I hope you'll read, enjoy and review my work—key word being enjoy! Thanks and have a good day.

Again, I'd like to thank my brother, Bill, for his many comments, suggestions and thoughts that have hopefully led me to be a more responsible writer.

I would like to apologize, here, in the event some of you feel these are not simply chapters within a story but more like mini-stories themselves. Most of them are quite lengthy. Then again, I had a lot to say this time around.

_The sea holds many wonders. Some are beautiful some are not.  
Some are just plain deadly._

_**Seaworthy**_

As a rule Kathy Lorne only went off world under a couple of circumstances. First, if there was a medical emergency of some type with either the indigenous people or if one of the Atlantis teams ran into trouble. The second reason was one of her own design. After she had allowed herself time to grieve over the loss of her son, she found that by throwing herself into her work she was able to get through the days more easily.

One of the projects that she took on was developing a type of rehab program for the people of some of the worlds that they had visited. More often than not after severe injuries—those that had not resulted ultimately in death—the injured person would be permanently crippled or handicapped. Kat's goal was to train these people in ways to rehabilitate themselves and in turn have a more productive and happier future. She developed simple exercise programs using items that were readily available on their own world and instructed them in basic human physiology.

It was the start of harvest time on M38-997 and Dr Tim Hamlin and his agriculture team were going to work with the villagers to improve harvest techniques and thus increase yields. One of the team members, Carl Weston, had recommended Kat join the team as a medic in order to patch up any injuries that would inevitably come up. He also thought this world would be an excellent candidate for her newly developed rehab program. Harvest time was one of the most dangerous times of the year for these people.

M38-997 had several villages; most of them located up and down the coast of a mid-sized sea. The climate was favorable for growing a variety of fruits, vegetables and grains. The sea held an abundance of fish and other crustaceans. The villages themselves resembled late 18th or early 19th century villages of Earth. Their harvest and planting techniques and practices were much the same, low-tech and dangerous.

They were scheduled to leave the next day so she would talk to Evan that night about going. It wasn't like he could forbid her to go even if he wanted to, she was after all a member of the expedition and it was part of her job. He would never try and discourage her from going unless he knew that it would be dangerous and someone else could just as easily do the job. Nonetheless, they both preferred that he know as much as possible when she was going off world. On the other hand, Evan didn't usually talk about the missions he was scheduled to go on and that was fine by Kat. More often than not his were much more dangerous than anything she went on so Kat would rather not know the details until he returned. If Evan got called off on some emergency rescue-type mission he usually would let her know he was leaving and that would be the extent of it. She had figured out that the less he said, the more dangerous it would usually be.

The mission that Kat was scheduled to go on would probably last three to four days. The Stargate was located approximately five and a half klicks from the village so the team would be taken over by Jumper. In a few days one would be sent back for them. Someone from the team would make the trek back to the Gate once a day to check in.

Dr Hamlin's team consisted of himself, Dr Jake Parker, Weston and one marine, Lieutenant Wills. Kat would be an addition to the team. She was actually looking forward to some time off world. It had been a little over five months since the death of her son and she was starting to feel cooped up and overwhelmed by her surroundings. Evan understood her need to get away and while he worried about her when she was gone, he was not too concerned about this particular world. It had not been visited by Wraith in generations and the villagers were quite civilized and receptive to the people from Atlantis. There was a rumor of a tribe of sea-going people or what could only be described as pirates but they had not been seen nor heard from in a very long time. Wills was a very capable man and he felt his wife would be in very good hands with him. It helped that Kat had learned hand-to-hand self-defense and shooting skills pretty well. Evan didn't worry too much about her personal safety. She could handle herself in a scrap if she needed.

Kat was waiting for Evan outside the cafeteria. "Hi, hon," she said as he walked up to her.

"Hey, sweetie." He reached out and took her with one arm and they gave each other a brief kiss. "How was your day?"

"Pretty good. You?" She asked him.

"Fine."

"Fine, just fine, no details?" She teased him as they went in for dinner.

"Well, I asked first and all you said was 'pretty good'. That really doesn't tell me much," he teased her back.

"I'm going off-world tomorrow with Dr Hamlin's team to M38-997."

"I heard his team was heading back this week. It's harvest time or something, right?"

"Yes, and these people apparently have a fair number of injuries during harvest and I'm going along as a medic to patch them up. Carl Weston thought that my new rehab program might work well with these folks, too. It'll probably take three or four days."

"Actually, I know all about it. Like any mission it comes from Colonel Carter and Colonel Sheppard and I usually know about them as well. I'll be taking you guys over in the Jumper."

"You will, huh? Well, I guess I should have seen that coming. Of course you'd volunteer to take us and I assume come back for us in a few days?"

"Of course."

"I feel better already." She wasn't just teasing him at that point. She was glad that they would have that time together and he would see where she was going. They generally tried not to go on missions together simply because of the distraction factor. Neither of them wanted to be a diversion that could cause someone to get hurt. About the only time they ever ended up off world together was if she had to do an emergency run with one of the medical teams to a planet he was already on or Evan's team was the one to escort them. Luckily that had only happened a couple of times.

*****

"Do you have everything you need from here, hon?" Evan asked Kat, as they were getting ready to go down to breakfast. He would be taking her and Dr Hamlin's team to the planet at 0900.

"Yes, I pretty much got everything organized last night down in the Infirmary. I just have one medical case to pick up down there. That and my backpack here and I'm all set. Don't take this the wrong way, but I'm actually looking forward to these next few days." She was going to miss Evan but she still needed to get away.

"I'm sure you are. I know you always look forward to these experiences."

"It's more than just that, this time. I mean, I'm going to miss you terribly; I always do when we're apart, but it's just… I don't know… I feel like the walls have been closing in on me a little lately. I need to get out of the city." She put her arms around his waist and hugged him.

"It's okay, I think I understand. You don't really get the chance to get away much and after awhile I'm sure it does get to be a little much." He hugged her back and kissed her on the forehead. They held each other for a few minutes.

"I guess we better get going, or we'll never get breakfast," he said as he released her. She was still holding him.

"I wish you could come with," she said to him when she finally let him go.

"I know, but we agreed that it would be better if we didn't go on missions together unless it was absolutely necessary," he reminded her.

"I know. But this one feels different. I just can't put my finger on it."

"Are you getting cold feet about going or what? Do you think something is going to happen?" he asked her with a bit of concern.

"No, nothing like that. I guess it's just because I haven't been off-world in quite a while and you actually haven't been gone that much lately, I just feel like… I don't know I can't put my finger on it. It's just a feeling. Just being an irrational wacky woman, I guess. Forget I said anything." She kissed him, turned around, grabbed her backpack, and headed to the door.

He followed. "Well alright, but there is nothing irrational about you. Woman, definitely, okay maybe a little wacky sometimes but I love wacky you." He caught up to her and put his arm around her waist. He then waved his hand over the door crystal and they went out into the corridor and down to the transport.

"And I love you," she said as they entered the transport.

After breakfast they went and geared up. Evan issued Kat a sidearm as well. She started to protest but he insisted. She didn't argue the point any longer with him. They then made their way down to the Infirmary to pick up the case with the medical supplies Kat figured she might need.

"Are you sure you have everything, Kathy?" Dr Carson Beckett asked as they were leaving. "I'm sure there is more we can send if you need it."

"What are you trying to do, Doc, drum up business. This case is heavy enough." Evan was carrying the case that Kat had packed and he wasn't shy about letting her know it wasn't light. He was of course teasing her to some degree.

"I told you I'd grab an end. But, no, you have to be the man and take it yourself. Maybe I should add a few more instant icepacks and some more antibiotics. A microscope and maybe a couple of trays of surgical tools if there's room." Now she was teasing him. She had packed plenty of everything and the microscope and surgical trays were just to add more weight and give Evan a hard time.

"Very funny, Kat. See, Doc, what I have to put up with on a daily basis," he pleaded to Carson for some support.

"Not a chance, you two. I'm not getting in the middle of this one." Carson wasn't about to take sides in their little game. He'd heard and seen it before. "If you have everything you think you'll need, then have a safe trip and I'll see you when you get back."

"Thank you, Carson," Kat said. Then she looked at Evan, laughed and reached out for one of the handles on the case.

"Yeah, thanks, Doc." Then to Kat, "I got it. I was only teasing, it's not heavy."

"You stinker you. I should know by now when you're teasing me. Guess I just missed it this morning." She shot him an oh-you look and then picked up her backpack and another one that had some additional supplies in it she had decided she wanted at the last minute and the two headed off to the Jumper bay where they were to meet Dr Hamlin and the rest of his team.

*****

Dr Hamlin and his team were already in the Jumper bay when Kat and Evan arrived. "Good morning, Kathy, Major," Hamlin greeted them as they came in.

"Morning. If we're all here and have everything, I suppose we should get this show on the road." Evan set the case of medical supplies down in the back of the Jumper, went to the front and sat down at the controls. The men stepped aside and allowed Kat to follow him. She went up front and sat in the seat behind Evan.

"You can sit up front, Kathy." Dr Hamlin motioned for her to sit in the other front seat.

"That's okay, I don't know where we are going. I'll let you play navigator on the way over." Dr Hamlin nodded and went to sit up front next to Evan.

"Are we all set?" Evan looked around to see if all were in and all the supplies were loaded. A chorus of 'yeses' came from the small group and Evan closed the back up and fired the Jumper up. "Well, then we're off. Dial it up, Doc." The Jumper bay doors opened as Dr Hamlin dialed the Gate address to M38-997.

*****

Evan dropped the group off in the village and helped unload the supplies. As Dr Hamlin and the rest of his team were greeting the villagers and getting everything sorted out, Evan took Kat aside to say goodbye. She held on to him for a little longer than he did her, not wanting to see him go. She was glad to be out of the city but sad to see him leave. She almost wished they could have had a weekend away somewhere, just the two of them to be alone. Maybe she would see about that after this mission was over. She released him and watched as he closed the back of the Jumper and took off towards the Gate. She watched till he was out of sight then turned around to join the rest of the group.

It was just past mid-day on the planet and Kat spent the rest of the afternoon getting to know the villagers. She wanted to win their trust before she started making wholesale changes in the way they took care of themselves. She thought if they became friends her ideas would be more readily accepted.

Some of the older girls in the village started asking her personal questions. A couple of them had seen her and Evan saying goodbye. Kat felt like a schoolgirl who had been caught in the act of making out with her boyfriend under the bleachers. She blushed a little and tried to change the subject. It didn't work.

Finally Dr Parker leaned in and said, "He's her boyfriend and if her husband ever caught her making out with him… well, let's just say it wouldn't be pretty." He laughed.

"Very funny, Jake. You make me sound like a little tramp or something." She gave him one of her you'll-pay-for-this looks and laughed, too. Most everyone in Atlantis who had gotten to know Kat over the past year or so had learned her different looks and what they meant. Then to the girl who had been pressing her about what she had seen, "Major Lorne _is_ my husband. I was just saying goodbye to him."

One of the younger girls chimed in, "He sure is cute. Too bad he didn't stay."

"Well, then we probably wouldn't get any work done around here, would we Kathy?" Jake just had to keep egging her on. He got another one of her looks.

A couple of the older women showed up just about then and told the younger ones that it was time to get back to their chores and to stop pestering Kat and Dr Parker. Kat was supposed to meet with the man who was considered a type of medical man. He set broken bones and patched up cuts and scrapes. However Kat had seen some of his handiwork when they first arrived. If she tried that back on Earth, she'd have been labeled a quack or worse a fraud. Fortunately for her the man was very open and receptive to learning new things. His heart was in the right place, which went a long way in treating patients. He just needed some training and the proper tools with which to work.

The team spent the rest of the first day visiting, learning, and teaching. They took their evening meal with Sarott, the would-be doctor and his family. There had been a bit of a squabble as to who was going to host the visitors the first night. But Sarott won out this time, largely due to his interest in what Kat was teaching him. The visitors were housed in a guest cottage as usual.

The next morning was to be the start of the harvest of the fruits from the orchards and vineyards. Most of the vineyards were closer to the sea than the orchards were. Dr Hamlin, Dr Parker and Carl Weston spent the first two days working with the people in the orchards and the vineyards. Kat stayed back in the village, along with the lieutenant and continued teaching Sarott better techniques to treat his people. There were a couple of strained muscles, a couple of minor cuts and one major laceration that required stitches the first day. Kat observed his methods and was able to show him more effective methods of treatment and follow-up care. The second day the only injury was to a young man who fell from a wagon and broke his arm. Things went pretty much without incident the third day and that afternoon Kat accompanied the workers to the orchards after noon meal. The next day she would spend the morning out in the vineyards.

*****

On the morning of the fourth day Evan took a Jumper back to the planet to retrieve Dr Hamlin's team. He took with him the newest member of his own team, Captain James. Lieutenant Wills had contacted Atlantis the evening before and said the team should be pretty much finished up by mid to late afternoon the next day. They could send the Jumper back anytime. A trade agreement had been worked out to send back a portion of their harvest in exchange for the instruction from both Dr Hamlin and Kat.

It was a gray day on M38-997 when Evan and Captain James came through the Gate. The sea had been visible from the Gate when he came through four days earlier; however today it was not. It was blanketed in a shroud of fog. James asked Evan to take the Jumper up above the clouds over the sea. He had spent two years as a hurricane chaser before joining the Stargate program and was curious to see what weather patterns might be developing over the water. The further out to sea they flew the more the captain was convinced that what he saw was something he was familiar with even though it was here on an alien world. The cloudbank ahead of them appeared to have all the makings of a Category Two hurricane. There was just one thing that didn't make sense. There was a strange energy signature coming from below the clouds, almost at sea level. The closer the Jumper got to what appeared to be the eye of the storm the more scrambled the sensor readings became.

"Major, I think we better get down there and warn these people to take cover, if they have anywhere to go. Either that or start shuttling them back to the Gate. That's a pretty nasty storm heading this way. It's at _least_ a Category Two hurricane coming in. And those are some strange readings coming from it. Hard telling what the center of that storm holds."

"Now I know why I brought you along today. Hopefully these people won't give us too much resistance."

As they made their way to the village, Evan started to feel a little unsettled. He couldn't put his finger on it; there was just something that didn't seem right. He could see Dr Hamlin and several of the villagers congregated around some tables in the village square as he flew overhead. The people waved up at him. He set the Jumper down just outside of town.

Evan kept looking around to see if he could see Kat. He could not. _Hmmm, she must either be inside a building or out in one of the orchards._ Dr Hamlin saw him coming up the path and went to meet him.

"You're a bit early, aren't you, Major? We weren't expecting you till later this afternoon. Missed your wife, did you?" he said as he extended a hand to Evan.

"Things were quiet back home so I thought I'd get over here early. Good thing I did and it's a good thing I brought James with me. Says there's a hurricane heading inland. Possibly Cat Two—or worse. If these people don't have anyplace solid to hole-up and ride it out, we should probably get them back to Atlantis. By the way, where is my wife? I didn't see her when we came through town."

"She's out in the vineyards along the shoreline with Dr Parker, Carl Weston and a group of villagers. They should be back shortly for noon meal."

Evan stepped away from the group a short distance and clicked the 'talk' button on his radio. "Kat, do you read? Come in please?" He waited a few minutes then tried again. "Kat, do you copy? Please respond." Only silence. "Weston, come in. Dr Parker, do you copy?" Still nothing.

Dr Hamlin came over to Evan. "No luck, huh? They're probably out of radio range. It's a good quarter mile or more to where they were picking this morning. Or maybe the weather coming in is interfering with the signal."

"Yeah, maybe. We picked up a strange energy signature coming from beneath the cloud cover the closer we got to the shoreline. I think I'll take the Jumper up and go find them. Bring 'em back. Doc, see if these people have a decent shelter and get them moved into it. If they don't, start for the Gate and get them back to Atlantis. Any idea just where they are out there?"

A young man about 17 years old stepped up. "I can show you, Major. My mother and sister are in the group harvesting out there today. I usually go but…" The boy did not finish his sentence. He was about to say something about being distracted by Kat—he thought she was just prettiest thing he'd seen in ages—but thought better of it when he remembered hearing that she was the major's wife. He was remembering, too, the comment Jake made about 'it wouldn't be pretty' when he was teasing Kat about Evan being her boyfriend and her husband finding out. He didn't know if the major was really the jealous type or not. So he opted to just quit while he was ahead. "Ah, I can show you where they were picking today, if you'd like, Major."

"Thank you, that would be great. I didn't catch your name." Evan noticed the boy seemed nervous but, of course, had no idea that it was because the boy had a crush on his wife.

"I am called Demal."

"Pleased to meet you, Demal." Evan held out his hand. The boy took it hesitantly.

"I must go tell my father I will be going with you. I will be back shortly." The boy turned and trotted off towards one of the buildings.

"Kid seems a bit nervous, doesn't he, Doc? Or is it just me he doesn't like?"

"I think he has a crush on Kathy. His father is Sarott, the medical man around here and we had evening meal with him and his family the first night. Demal was out in the vineyards the past two days but when he learned that she was going out there today, he begged out. Don't hold it against him; he's a good kid. It didn't help that Dr Parker put the fear of you in a few people the first afternoon. It's a long story, one I'm sure you'll hear about from your wife. Don't let the boy know I told you. Okay?"

"Alright, the secret is safe, Doc. I'm sure there is a funny story behind it and I'm sure Kat will tell me all about it when we get home. The good doctor, on the other hand, might have to look over his shoulder for a few days." Evan was joking of course and Dr Hamlin knew it. He laughed along.

*****

The picking was going well and the harvest was actually quite bountiful. Carl Weston was taking some soil samples and doing some preliminary testing to see if there might be anything that could be done to improve the health of the soil in order to increase the yield.

Kat was thoroughly enjoying herself. All the time she had lived in California she had never taken a tour of any of the vineyards. It was fascinating to learn how many different varieties of grapes there were. And this was on an alien world, not Earth.

It was getting near the time when the little group would head back to the village for the noon meal. The weather was much different nearer the coast than it had been further inland. Granted they were much closer to the seashore but you could almost smell an incoming storm. The eldest of the men who was in the group commented that the winter rains might start early this year.

The group consisted of Brijee, the wife of Sarott and their 14-year old daughter, Lisset. There were two men in the group also, Horick and Ballow. Brijee's son, Demal was supposed to come this morning but for some reason begged out. His father allowed him to stay back at the village. Dr Parker, Carl Weston and Kat rounded out the little group. The two scientists had been making the trek out each day and had become pretty adept at picking grapes. Even Kat had picked up a pretty good technique. She had learned fairly quickly how to determine ripe grapes from those that were not so ripe.

Each row was about 200 meters long with a small clearing about 10 meters wide at the end, separating the rows. The eldest of the men, Horick, explained to Dr Parker that the break in the rows was where the variety of grape changed. This way those harvesting could empty their pails and keep the fruit separate in the cart. Horick said once they reached this break they would return to the village for noon meal.

They had reached the clearing emptied their pails. Weston was finishing up taking a last soil sample just into the next rows. He wanted to take what he had collected so far back with them so he wouldn't be encumbered by them this afternoon and could help pick.

The group was just about ready to leave when they heard Weston call out. Apparently they had company. A small band of shabbily dressed men were coming down the rows from in front of them. They were all wearing breeches, waistcoats and sporting gold earrings. They had the look of 17th century pirates. A husky man with long stringy black hair was leading. He called out to Weston. "Hello, friend. Can you by chance give us aid? Our companion has injured his leg. We are strangers here and a great distance from home. How far are we from your village?"

Weston wasn't sure just how far they were nor did he know what to make of the approaching travelers. "I, too, am from afar, sir. Perhaps my friends can help you." He called back for the others to join him.

Horick led the small group down the row. "What brings you to our vineyards?" He asked the stranger. "What service may we be to you?"

"As I told this man, our friend has injured his leg and we are not familiar with the countryside and do not know where to seek help."

When she heard the mention of someone being injured, Kat stepped forward and offered to examine the man and possibly treat him if she had what was necessary along.

The stranger eyed her up and down then said, "You are not from this place, either, are you. Your dress is not the same as the others. Yours is more like theirs." He pointed to Weston and Parker. It was as if the man had forgotten about his supposedly injured companion.

Kat grew uneasy by the way the man was looking at her. Her hand went to the sidearm Evan had insisted she bring. Dr Parker noticed this and his hand went to his sidearm as well. He took a step towards the man. Suddenly several armed men moved in on them from all directions. Each man had a dagger held by a leather sash around his waist but more importantly each one was holding a type of energy-based weapon.

Then the first man said, "I would suggest you not try anything or someone is liable to get hurt. I am Janser. You will come with me. His Lordship, Ocontaf, will be pleased to have such lovely additions to his court." He walked up to the young girl, Lisset, and ran his fingers through her hair and down her arm.

Horick was still holding a pail and swung it at him. One of the other strangers shot him twice with his weapon. Kat tried to go to his side to help but was grabbed by one of the strangers. Janser looked around waiting to see if anyone else wanted to try a dumb move like Horick had. He was just daring them to try something.

"Better not harm that one, Raddum," Janser said to the man who had grabbed Kat. "His Lordship will surely take pleasure in her." He sneered at Kat, showing his crooked brown teeth.

No one else made any moves to antagonize the strangers. Janser and Raddum roughly pushed them through the vines and toward the water's edge. Raddum had noticed that Kat and the two scientists each had a sidearm and he relieved them of said weapons. He passed one of them to Janser.

"These are not like any weapons I have seen before. Where did you get them?" He was in Parker's face. Parker did not answer. Janser was close to striking Parker when Carl Weston spoke up.

"They were given to us by our ancestors in a land far from here." Weston tried to make it sound like they didn't know anything about their origin.

"Well, no matter. If you will not talk to me you will talk to His Lordship. Now we must get you back to the _Machickna_ before we lay waste to this land," Janser said as he pushed the prisoners down the beach to a waiting boat.

*****

Evan, Captain James and Demal walked back to the Jumper in silence. They were almost there when Evan asked the boy, "So how big is this vineyard? Are we going to have trouble spotting them?" It didn't really matter whether they would be able to spot them from the air. Evan would just turn on the life-signs detector and get a lock on their sub-Q transmitters. He was just trying to put the boy at ease. Although at the back of his mind he was remembering the sensor difficulty they had when they first arrived and were checking out the storm clouds. It might be that the life-signs detector would be inoperative.

"It is quite large, actually. It takes us almost two weeks with several people picking to get everything in before the winter rains. So depending on how far in they are, it could be a little difficult."

Once in the Jumper, Evan took off in the direction of the shoreline. Demal directed him towards the right of the village. They should have been working in that vineyard this morning. Evan went down to maybe ten meters off the ground and tried his radio again. "Kat, do you copy? Please respond." Only silence. "Carl Weston, please respond. Dr Parker, do you copy?" Again, only silence. He activated the life-signs detector on board the Jumper to see if he could locate them. The screen showed nothing. _Damn energy whatever._

By now that unsettled feeling he had vaguely noticed when they arrive had turned into real concern; not only for his wife, but also for the others in her party. They wouldn't stand a chance this close to the shore when the storm hit. He asked Demal to point out where he thought the closest point of entry would be that they could possibly find them on foot. Demal indicated a small clearing. Evan set the Jumper down and the men exited to search on foot.

"They should have been working in these rows this morning." Demal pointed out an area of about ten or twelve rows. "We finished up just over there yesterday."

Each man took a row and started walking down it, calling as they walked. There were dips and rises in the land and the vines were thick. It was difficult to see too far ahead of them at some points. Several minutes later they came out into a very small clearing about ten meters wide. According to Demal this was a break in the variety of grapes that were grown there. Just inside the next set of rows he spotted something. It was the pails and the cart that were being used to hold and transport the fruit. But there was no one around.

Evan again tried his radio; still only silence. Demal called out for his mother and his sister. There was no response. Was it possible that they had missed them on the way over? Had the group already headed back to the village? He tried contacting Dr Hamlin.

"Dr. Hamlin, do you read?"

"Barely, Major, but I can hear you. No luck finding Kathy, huh?"

"No, I was hoping maybe they had come back and we just missed them. We found the pails and the cart."

"Sorry, but they haven't shown here yet. You probably just missed each other. I'm sure they'll show soon, though."

"Major, over here. I think you should see this." Captain James had scouted a little further ahead and came across something he needed the major to see.

"What is it, James?" Evan made his way to where the captain was. Demal followed. What they found were signs of a scuffle. There were broken vines and even a few that looked as if hit with an energy weapon of some sort. There was also a blood trail. They followed it and came upon one of the villagers. He looked to have been shot with some type of energy weapon. The man was barely alive.

"It's Horick." Demal said as he rushed to his side. "Horick, what happened here? Where are the others?"

Evan knelt down on the other side of the man and was visually scanning the area to see if he could see anyone else lying around. He could not.

"Took… beyond… Ocontaf…" The man was barely conscious and the effort of talking weakened him further. He passed out.

"Took them, where? Where is Ocontaf?" Evan was trying to get more information from the man but it was no use. The man was barely alive. Then to Demal, "Where is this Ocontaf he's talking about?"

The young man was still kneeling alongside Horick. He looked frightened and did not answer right away. Evan reached across the unconscious man and grabbed Demal by the collar asking again, "Where is this Ocontaf?"

Finally Demal answered. "Ocontaf is not a place, but a man, a very evil man. There are those who do not believe he is real. Others believe he no longer lives. He has not been seen or heard from in many many years."

"So who is he?" Evan pressed the boy for more details.

"He is a very evil man," Demal repeated. "It has been said he is the evilest man to have ever commanded the seas. He is feared by all. Mere mention of his name will cause nightmares in old men. But no one has seen or heard of his presence in so long we thought he was dead. If he has returned then I fear for my mother and my sister and your people, especially for your wife. This storm you talk of may be a blessing to them if they are in the hands of Ocontaf."

Demal's words were not sitting well with Evan. He was trying not to let his concern show. He also felt something that he had not felt in quite some time—fear. He checked the injured man lying in front of them. He was still alive but he needed attention. He also had to find his people—his wife—before the storm hit. And if they were out on some ship on the sea the sooner the better. Although from the way Demal talked, the storm might be the least of their concern.

"Let's get this man into the Jumper and back to the village. Then we'll get back up and see if we can spot any ships."

*****

After getting the injured man back to the village, Evan, James and Wills headed back out in the Jumper in the direction of the sea. There was sturdy shelter further inland and Dr Hamlin and the village elders were getting the people to safety. They flew over the area they found the man and started a pattern search of the area just off shore. There were footprints in the sand leading to the edge of the water. It looked like a small boat had been dragged partway up onto the beach. Evan had activated the Jumper's cloak shortly after they took off. At least that was still working. He did not want anyone to see them.

Evan activated the life-signs detector again. Still nothing. He didn't think it would work this close to the storm front and the energy reading but he figured to give it a try anyway. All of a sudden several blips appeared on the screen for just a few seconds. He had finally located his people—his wife—he hoped. The only problem was trying to figure how to get in there and get them out before they were over taken by the storm.

At least they had the element of surprise. Hopefully they would not have to resort to violence. Evan hoped he could either negotiate the release of or at least intimidate them into releasing his people and the villagers. _Negotiate my_ _ass_, he thought, _if that man lays a finger on Kat I'll kill him with my bare hands_. Evan was growing angrier by the minute just thinking about it. This was a big part of the reason the two had agreed to try and not go on missions together. Emotions might get in the way of good judgment. Right now good judgment was on a fast track out of his mind. Although from the description given by the young villager this man probably would deserve anything he got.

The Jumper came down out of the clouds just above a ship. It was something of a cross between the _Mayflower _and the _Titanic._ It was huge, roughly 150-160 meters in length, but with sails and looked to be made out of a mix of wood and iron. Actually finding someplace to land might not be that hard if he could maneuver between the masts and billowing sails. They visually scanned the deck looking for a suitable landing place that might give them that all-important element of surprise. Most of the Jumper's sensors were either not working at all or barely working and the closer they got to the ship the more difficult it was to get any type of reading from them. It was as if the source of the energy anomaly was the ship. Perhaps it was entirely separate from the storm that was brewing a little further out. Evan only hoped the cloak was still working.

"There." Captain James pointed towards the aft of the great ship. "There looks like a spot behind those crates that is large enough and secluded enough that we won't be seen."

"Good eye, James." Evan set the Jumper down slowly in the area that the captain had pointed out. It was a perfect spot. No one was even close to the area so they wouldn't be seen exiting the Jumper. Now all they had to do was try and find their people.

As the Puddle Jumper descended toward the deck the disrupted sensors returned to normal. The spot James had pointed out was perfect. The sensors picked up several life signs in a group as well as three subcutaneous transmitters. Currently they were all together in one group not too far from where the Jumper had landed.

The men were able to exit the still cloaked Jumper without being seen. Evan checked his sidearm then reached back to where he kept his knife. He grabbed one of the hand-held life-signs detectors and picked up his P-90 on the way out. Had this trip been what it was supposed to have been, simply a pickup of personnel, he'd have been a little over outfitted with weapons. He was glad he had geared up as he did for any mission.

He flipped on the device. The energy anomaly did seem to be emanating from above them in one of the enormous masts because he was able to pinpoint three subcutaneous transmitters. He was now detecting two together in a group of five life sign signatures and one alone with one other life sign. His people had been split up. A chill ran down his spine.

*****

Once the prisoners had been brought on board the _Machickna _they were put all together in one room on one of the lower decks. Janser went to Ocontaf to advise him that he had returned. He informed his leader that there were three people that were not of this world and that they possessed weapons strange to him. There were also three women, one of them an other-worlder. That fact intrigued Ocontaf more than the fact that they had strange weapons.

Ocontaf was a large malodorous man, over six-feet six-inches tall. He was not a good-looking man in the least. He was dirty and his shoulder-length yellow hair was stringy and greasy. Ocontaf went down to where the prisoners were being held. He slowly walked through the room looking at each of them carefully. When he came to Lisset, the 14 year-old daughter of Sarott, he paused briefly. He touched her hair and then her face. Her mother, Brijee, protested his attentions to her daughter.

"Please do not harm her, she's only a child," Brijee pleaded with the big man.

"My aren't we protective." He sneered at her as he leaned close to her, his brown teeth showing. Then he reached out and pushed her aside. She fell back and was caught by Carl Weston.

Ocontaf noticed the other-worlder as he caught the woman. Parker was standing beside Weston. "So, you're the ones from beyond this place? Where are you from? You came through the Ring, didn't you?"

"I'm from Cleveland, it's in Ohio, on the shores of Lake Erie." Weston wasn't about to tell the man he was from Atlantis. He also had a sarcastic streak in him, much like Jake Parker.

The big man was about to strike him when he noticed Kat. He took a step towards her. She stood up straight not showing any fear. "Well, well, what have we here. You are not of this world either, are you?" He reached out and took hold of her face by the chin, tipping it slightly. She resisted, trying to hold her head firm but that only infuriated him. "Stubborn one, aren't you?" He tightened his grip on her chin and leaned close to her. "Perhaps a private lesson in manners is necessary." He leered at her.

Jake Parker pulled Kat away from Ocontaf. "Leave her alone."

Janser stepped toward Parker with his weapon drawn. He pointed it at Parker's head. "I wouldn't defy His Lordship, if I were you," he snarled. "Only he will be the judge as to who needs lessons and who doesn't." Then he tipped his head towards Parker. "Perhaps this one needs a lesson as well, my Lord."

"You are welcome to teach as you see fit, Janser. This one I will teach myself." Ocontaf grabbed Kat by the arm and pulled her towards the door. She struggled but that only caused the man to tighten his grip even more. Parker and Weston tried to follow and keep him from taking her. Both of them were hit across the face with the butt end of an energy weapon held by Janser.

*****

After they made their way below deck it was only about twelve meters to where the group of five were being held. There was also no way of knowing who was who or if the other three life signs were those of the villagers, their captors or a combination of both. The only thing Evan could tell for sure was that only two of his people were still together. One had been moved from the group and was now alone with one unknown person. He had a bad feeling he knew who had been separated. And a worse feeling he knew who that unknown person was.

Evan sent James and Wills off in the direction of the larger group All they had to do was go down the corridor, take a left and the room should be at the end of the hall on the left. Evan would go the other way himself. He pocketed the detector and raised his P-90. He set it for single shot. He didn't want to take a chance on anyone, such as his wife, getting caught in a spray of bullets.

Surprisingly they met no resistance as they made their way down the corridors. Apparently the ship's crew felt that there was no need to place guards outside the rooms where the prisoners were being held. Why would they, how would anyone be able to mount a rescue without being seen approaching the ship? Who would mount a rescue for that matter? Hopefully Wills and James would find all the captured villagers and the two scientists all in one room and would not meet any resistance. Evan had given them instructions to be as stealthy as possible. These people looked to possess energy-based weapons.

Evan hoped he'd be able to be as quiet as he had instructed his men to be. He lowered his P-90 and drew both his sidearm and his knife. He made his way down the corridor to the end to where the detector had shown the sub-Q transmitter of one of his people. As he came close to the door he heard what sounded like something, or someone, being thrown into a wall. Then he heard a slightly muffled cry.

*****

Ocontaf had pulled Kat by the arm away from the rest of the group. He tilted his head slightly as he shoved her out the door. Janser followed them out locking the door behind him. He then headed up the stairs at the far end of the corridor.

The big man dragged Kat to the other end of the corridor. He opened a door and pushed her through in front of him. She stumbled across the room into a large cabinet catching herself with her hands. Ocontaf stepped towards Kat and grabbed her by the hair. He pulled her in to him and pressed his lips hard to hers. She pulled away and tried to knee him in the groin. The man was wearing thick leather pants and so her effort to incapacitate him did little good. He reached up and backhanded her hard across the face cutting her lip. She went tumbling across the room. She let out a slight cry as she landed face-first against the bed.

Ocontaf took two strides across the room. He reached for Kat pulling his dagger from its sheath as he threw her onto the bed like a rag doll. He then brought the blade tight to her throat; it's razor sharp edge ever so slightly slicing the skin. With her subdued he climbed up on the bed, straddled her, and then kissed her again. As he pressed his face to hers the blade of the dagger dug further into the delicate skin of her neck. Slowly he unzipped her jacket and then grabbed her shirt tearing it open.

Just then the door burst open and in came Evan. "Let go of her or I'll kill you," he snarled at the big man. Ocontaf turned around to see Evan standing in the doorway with a gun pointing at him. In his other hand was a knife.

Ocontaf climbed off the bed and lunged towards Evan, his dagger thrust out in front of him. Evan fired two shots into the man's chest and watched him fall. Kat got up and quickly ran to her husband's side. He moved her behind him towards the door.

As Evan turned around, Ocontaf sprang up from where he was slumped on the floor. He came at Evan with his dagger. Kat saw him get up and yelled. "Watch out!"

He turned around and thrust his own knife into the man's gut. Ocontaf slashed at Evan and managed to land a lucky stab into his upper arm before going down. Evan then started striking him in the head with his gun. Kat yelled at him to stop. "Evan, stop it, stop, you'll kill him." She tried to grab his arm to get him to stop. Finally she caught it and he ceased his pummeling. Ocontaf lay in a heap, his face covered in blood from the beating inflicted upon him by Kat's enraged husband.

"He deserves to die, for what he did to you, Kat," Evan protested her getting him to stop his assault.

"He didn't hurt me." She still had hold of his arm.

"What do you mean, what's this?" He touched the blood on her lip and her neck. He nodded at her torn shirt.

"He didn't _hurt_ me." She looked at him trying to get him to understand what she meant. Finally he did. She zipped up her jacket to hide the torn shirt.

"Let's get you out of here. James and Wills were going after the rest of your party." He took one more look back at the man on the floor. He was either dead or at least unconscious for the moment. Evan holstered his sidearm and knife and reached in his pocket for his handkerchief so Kat could wipe some of the blood from her throat. He raised his P-90 and looked out into the hall. He figured the sound of the two shots he'd taken earlier might very well bring down the crew.

When Evan looked out into the corridor he saw Captain James making his way down with the rest of the captives. Lieutenant Wills brought up the rear of the party. So far no crewmembers were descending upon them. Maybe no one heard the shots Evan had fired. He and Kat joined the group and Evan took point with James.

Dr Parker took Kat by the arm and helped her up the stairs and out on the deck. Evan kept looking back to see that she was okay. "Just a little further and we will be able to get you out of here," he said as she reached the top step.

"Major, I heard them talking when they brought us to the ship about destroying the villages. I don't know what they plan on doing or how, but they were pretty sure they'd be able to cause a great deal of damage," Dr Parker said as he reached the top of the stairs.

"Yes, they were talking about being able to inflict a lot of pain and suffering on the people all along the coast," Kat reiterated what Dr Parker had said.

"Major, do you think that energy anomaly is some type of weapon?" Captain James asked.

"I don't know, it might be. With any luck our weapons will still work. Neither the cloak nor the navigation controls were affected. Maybe we can destroy it."

The group made their way back to the Jumper without meeting any resistance. Before he lifted off, Evan was able to pinpoint the source of the energy reading on the ships sensors. It was definitely coming from above and emanating in an upward and outward direction. He lifted off, remained at a level just above the deck of the ship, and was able to stay below the energy field.

Once he figured he was safely away, Evan launched a drone into the great mast of the ship. It struck its target and the mast exploded. There were chain reaction explosions throughout the ship causing fires to erupt. Evan did not stick around to see whether the ship itself succumbed to the flames; he went to full speed to get the injured back to the mainland before the storm hit.

*****

Once in the air and far enough away from the burning ship, Evan turned to Captain James. "Take us in, Captain." He got up and went back to where Kat was sitting in the rear of the Jumper. Dr Parker had already grabbed the first-aid kit and was untying the handkerchief from around her neck.

The blood had dried to the cloth and the cuts started to bleed a little when Parker pulled it away from the skin. When he saw Evan coming from the front of the Jumper he moved aside. "They don't look too deep, Major. I think she'll be okay."

"You're gonna be fine, Kat. Just sit back and let me clean this up a bit." Evan had sat down beside her. Dr Parker handed him the antiseptic and cotton. In addition to those on her neck there were also cuts on her lip and above her eye as well.

Kat looked up at Parker and over at Weston. "I think you two should get icepacks on those bruises." She reached up and touched Evan's arm where he had been stabbed. "Maybe I should have a look at that arm of yours."

"I'm fine. Let's just get back to the village." As he looked at her he could see the bruising starting to show on her face where Ocontaf had hit her. Her eye and lip were starting to swell. It made him angry just looking at them as he was cleaning the blood from her neck.

"You're not fine. You're bleeding. I just want to put a bandage on your arm." She tried to give him one of her looks.

"I'll live. And your not gonna get away with one of your famous looks this time. You just sit here and let me take care of you." He reached up and touched her face. She flinched and pulled back slightly. He was adamant that she got taken care of before he did.

She quit arguing, sat back and allowed herself to be treated. By now she was starting to feel a little woozy. They had successfully escaped their captors and the adrenaline rush that she'd had up to this point was wearing off. The side of her face hurt and she could feel the swelling in her lip and eye from the slap Ocontaf had given her. She really didn't feel the cuts on her neck that much, probably because everything above that hurt worse.

Just then they heard an explosion. Captain James changed their course slightly so they could see behind them. The _Machickna_ had blown up.

"Sir, I think you should look at this." Captain James was pointing out the window.

"What the…." Evan stood up, turned and walked toward the front of the Jumper. "It looks like the entire storm is dissipating."

Just as the great ship exploded the storm clouds began to break up showing a beautiful blue sky.

"You don't think that energy anomaly was controlling the weather and had created that storm, do you?" James asked.

"Well, I guess we know how they were going to destroy the villages. Didn't I read something about a device SG1 discovered that controlled the weather?" Dr Parker commented.

Kat had stood up and started walking towards the front of the Jumper to where Evan was standing. She wasn't real steady on her feet and Parker got up and helped her. She said, "So, you think he's dead?"

Evan was surprised to hear her voice directly behind him and he spun around. He reached out, put his arm around her waist and lead her back to her seat. "I'm sure he is, honey, I'm sure he is." He embraced her and held her tight. She put her arms around him and wept.

*****  
^^^^


	2. Shadows in the Light

Why do fleeting shadows that disappear in the light of day come back to haunt us when we least expect it?

**Shadows in the Light**

Over the years Major Evan Lorne had been called upon many times to bail Colonel Sheppard's butt out of a jam so when he got the call to assemble his team for a search and rescue mission it came as no surprise. He called his wife and asked her to meet him outside the armory in fifteen minutes. Katherine Lorne excused herself from her work and went up to meet her husband. She knew he would be going off world on some emergency. It had not been an uncommon occurrence lately and she usually knew ahead of time if something had been scheduled. The details of the mission, though, were something he would probably keep from her.

Kat stood outside the armory across and to the left of the door waiting for Evan to finish gearing up and apprising his men of the upcoming mission. When they started filing out she took a step towards the door. He saw her and cut towards her while the other men went right towards the transport. They nodded acknowledgement in her direction.

"Hey there." He leaned in, took her in one arm and kissed her. "I don't know how long this is going to take so don't wait up for me." He always tried to make the situation sound less serious than it was. She usually knew, too, that the less he said and the bigger hurry he was in the more dangerous things could get. She was used to it and tried to not let him see if it bothered her.

"Be careful, okay?" She hugged him and kissed him back. "I won't wait up but I'll leave the light on. You better get going or they'll leave without you." The men were almost to the transport. "I love you."

"Love you, too, I promise to be careful." He turned and headed down towards the transport at a brisk pace.

*****

Colonel John Sheppard, Dr Rodney McKay and Ronan Dex had gone off on what should have been a routine mission where Rodney had been monitoring a particular Ancient device that had been designed to protect the planet's population from the Wraith. Teyla was off visiting her people for a few days. Sheppard told her that since the mission he would be going on was nothing more than routine there was no reason she couldn't take a few days to visit friends and family on New Athos. Besides, this society had a rather archaic notion that women were second-class citizens. Their first visit got off to a bad start when, unfamiliar with this world, Teyla arrived carrying a weapon and worse, wearing pants. The villagers were reluctant to give Rodney a tour of their Protector's Cavern if she were to remain with them. It was agreed that if she stayed in the village the men would be shown around but if any treaties or trade agreements were to be considered in the future, Teyla would not be allowed to return.

When Sheppard and his team arrived on Pulantin they were met, not by the usual village elders, but instead by a group of men unknown to them. Their clothing had a vague familiarity to it but the strangers were carrying some type of energy-based weapon much different than the one Ronan carried. There were several villagers being held at gunpoint. Sheppard was told that if he and his men did not relinquish their own weapons the villagers would be executed. They did as they were told but the hostages were not released. The team was then relieved of their radios and packs as well and led to the central circle of town.

There was one man who appeared to be in charge. He stepped forward and announced, "I am Fallas, brother of Ocontaf. I am here to avenge the death of my brother and his people at the hands of the invaders who have desecrated the City of our Ancestors. Sheppard, McKay and Ronan were then forced into an earthen prison cell along with the hostages. It was more of a big hole in the ground with a wooden grate laid across the top, much like the holds of old-time sailing vessels. There were several more of these unknown men standing around the perimeter with the same type of energy weapon pointed in on them.

*****

Just prior to entering the event horizon, Major Lorne activated the cloak on the Puddle Jumper. If there was anyone guarding the area around the Gate the last thing he wanted was for them to be tracked. If an unknown enemy was holding Sheppard and his team against their will he didn't want to take the risk that their captors would injure or kill them. They were taking enough of a calculated risk just opening the Gate.

Fortunately there did not appear to be anyone in the vicinity of the Stargate as they came through. Lorne flew in the direction of the village. "Colonel Sheppard, do you read?" He had been to Pulantin on one other occasion with Dr McKay and was a little familiar with the layout of the land. Strangely, there were no visible signs of activity anywhere. The life-signs detector aboard the Jumper did not show anything either. However, there was a strange energy reading coming from the center area of the village.

"Major, if I'm not mistaken, we've seen this energy reading before." Captain James pointed to the screen in front of him.

"You're right, James. This does look a lot like the readings we found on M38-997. It could be messing with the sensors." Evan began to get an eerie feeling.

There was a small open area in the center of town. From the air a large crosshatched wooden grate could be seen. This was where the energy reading seemed to be coming from. No readings were detected coming from anywhere else in the area. Lorne spotted a clearing about 400 meters from the village, which had actually been built more in the forest than in the open. He set the Jumper down at the edge of the tree line near where a path had been cut into the forest between the Gate and the village. The cloak was still active as they exited.

"Alright, there doesn't appear to be anyone around but that doesn't mean they aren't so everyone stay sharp. Powell, you're on point with me, James you and Blake on our six." The team made their way down the path cautiously.

About 60 meters from the edge of the village, Lorne raised his arm indicating his men to hold position. He bent down, picked up a stick, and tossed it forward. The stick hit some type of energy barrier that appeared to run across the path. It sizzled and burned up as if it had landed on an electric fence with 10,000 volts of electricity running through it. It reminded him of a scene from the movie _Jurassic Park_.

"How'd you know, sir?" Captain James asked.

"Can't you see the shimmering in the trees?" Lorne was pointing at the branches that were hanging in front of them.

"Sorry, sir, but no," James and Powell both answered.

"Wait, there in the leaves." Blake was pointing up towards another branch off the path. He picked up a stick and tossed it towards the shimmering leaves. It sizzled and burned just like the one the major had thrown moments earlier.

"This didn't show up on the Jumper's sensors. Let's see how far it stretches. Watch your step and spread out." Lorne indicated for them to start off into the trees and carefully test the area in front of them by tossing branches or stones ahead of them. About twenty meters in both directions from the path it appeared that the energy barrier ended.

"Major, it seems to end right about here. About twenty meters in." Blake called back to the major. He and Powell had gone off in one direction while Lorne and James went in the other.

"Same this way, it seems. See if you can make your way through and back to the path. Be careful in case the field just bends in some odd way." Lorne cautioned his men to be alert as they slowly made their way through the brush around what appeared to be the end of the energy barrier. They crossed through and were able to return to the path without further incident.

"Hmm, looks like someone was trying to scare us off," Lorne commented.

The group finally came out into the village. They were a short distance from the wooden grate and could here voices coming from beneath it.

"Colonel Sheppard?"

"Lorne is that you?" It was Sheppard's voice. It came from beneath the wood grate. "Down here, but be careful, there is some type of energy field covering the grate."

The men looked carefully around and Lieutenant Powell motioned towards the other side of the pit. "Over there. Seems to be something glowing in the underbrush."

Major Lorne was nearest so he cautiously walked over to it, squatted down and carefully removed the leaves and branches covering it with his hand. What he found was a small rectangular box with several crystals of various colors plugged into it. There were three green, three red, two clear ones and a single blue one. "Colonel, we found what looks like a small box with nine crystals plugged into it."

"Major, what color are the crystals and are they in any pattern?" It was Dr McKay.

"There are three green ones across one end, three red ones across the other end, two clear ones, one on each side and a blue one in the middle."

"Okay, Major, you should be able to carefully remove the single blue one and the field should be deactivated. And I stress the carefully part. Don't let it touch any of the other crystals."

Major Lorne laid his P-90 down and reached for the blue crystal. Something made him stop short. He leaned in closer to inspect the crystal. "Hey, Doc. Looks like there are several cracks running the length of the blue crystal. I've never seen anything like it."

"Don't touch it!" McKay practically screamed the words. "It's damaged. It could very well cause the whole box to explode if taken out. I'd have to see it, but from what you described I'm afraid we're going to have to find another way out of here that does not involve deactivating the energy field."

"So I suppose just shooting the box wouldn't work, would it?" Lorne had picked up his P-90.

"Like I said, I'd have to see it to be sure. All I am sure of is that the damaged crystal is not a good thing," McKay said with typical Rodney annoyance.

"What if they just get a log or something long and lift the grate up, then brace it?" Ronan asked.

"If this is anything like the one we encountered just outside town that probably wouldn't work. Anything that comes in contact with the field fries to a crisp," Lorne hollered down in response to Ronan's suggestion. He didn't like the idea of touching anything that was in contact with that energy field.

"What one just outside of town?" Sheppard asked, then, "What about digging a shaft parallel to this one and then a tunnel between them?"

"That would avoid disturbing the energy field grate." McKay thought it sounded like a doable solution.

"Lorne, are there any shovels or picks or any type digging tools around there?" Sheppard called up.

"Not in the immediate vicinity, Colonel." He didn't answer the first question about what his team had encountered on the walk in and Sheppard seemed to have forgotten the question for the moment.

Then one of the villagers said, "The tools are in the building to the left of the great hall. It should be straight ahead from the fire ring that is next to the pit. But I can tell you the ground is very hard. It took several days and several men to dig this pit and spread the dirt throughout the forest. The strangers made us dig it before you arrived. It was as if they knew you were coming. No one here knows who they are or where they came from. It's the first time any of us ever saw them."

"You hear that, Major? Looks like you guys have your work cut out for you. McKay, what if they just dig along side and make like a ramp coming out of here?"

"I suppose that should work. Just make sure that the digging doesn't disrupt the field or cause it to fall in on us." McKay grumbled.

So Major Lorne and his team went to the building the villager said the tools would be in and sure enough they found what they needed. They returned but before attempting any digging Lorne tested the energy field with a branch. He tossed it atop the grate and it sizzled to a crisp much the way the field blocking their path had. The men had been steering clear of the grate by as much as six meters. The box that contained the crystals had been about that far from the pit so they had figured that was a safe distance.

Lorne picked up another branch and tossed it about three meters from the grate. It landed without incident. He tried a little closer and discovered that the energy field appeared to be confined to the wooden grate. He and his men began digging a safe distance from the edge of the pit. Once they were able to dig down far enough, they passed a pick and shovel in so Sheppard and Ronan could start digging from inside.

*****

It took them a good couple of hours to get a sufficient tunnel dug that was far enough from the energy field. Captain James had found a rope in the tool building and once they had a large enough tunnel, passed the rope down and started to pull people up. McKay insisted on being the first one up. His excuse was he wanted to be able to check out the crystals and see if they could be removed without disrupting the field and causing a catastrophic explosion. That was his excuse, but everyone knew it had more to do with him being claustrophobic than anything. He'd been whining about the cramped space from the beginning. Sheppard and Ronan were happy to have him out of the hole because he was starting to get on their nerves.

Once McKay had a chance to investigate the crystal box he said, "It's a good thing you didn't blast away at it with your P-90, Major. The whole thing surely would have blown. As it is, I'm not sure it can be safely deactivated."

Sheppard was one of the last ones out of the hole. He walked over to McKay. "Rodney, if you can't deactivate it and shooting the thing is out of the question, what do you propose we do about it. We can't very well just leave it here and hope no one trips on it in the dark."

"I don't know. Yet. Give me a minute and I'll see what I can come up with." Rodney hated being pressured.

"Good work, Major. By the way, you didn't happen to see our gear laying around anyplace did you?"

"Sorry, sir. So who's responsible for this? The energy reading we picked up from here had a familiar look to it. Looked an awful lot like the readings we saw back on M38-997."

"I didn't recognize them. But they knew about us. Almost like they were expecting us. But these people say they didn't know who they were either. I don't believe them. I think they either knew them or had some contact with them and sold us out," Ronan said.

"Nah, I believe them that they didn't recognize them." Sheppard disagreed with Ronan's assessment of the villagers. "They were dressed a lot like the people you mentioned in your mission report from 997. Looked like something right out of _Pirates of the Caribbean_. The guy in charge called himself Fallas, said he was here to avenge the death of his brother, Ocontaf. Wasn't he the guy from your report?" Sheppard said.

*****

It had been over eight months since the mission to M38-997. Dr Hamlin and his team had returned numerous times without any indication of trouble from the seafaring people. It was as if once Ocontaf had been defeated either there were no more seafaring people left on the planet or they were fearful of causing trouble and incurring the wrath of the people from beyond. In fact, Hamlin and his team had been back there as recent as three weeks ago and there had been no indications for any potential danger. Granted the Gate was a ways away from the village and therefore travel through it could easily go undetected.

Kat, however, never went back to the planet. She felt bad for not being able to continue training Sarott in therapy techniques and there had been a few instances were her expertise would have come in handy, but she just could not bring herself to return. She either sent one of the other therapists or had Sarott and the injured person come to Atlantis. It was a bit unusual to have off-worlders come to Atlantis for this type of thing, but Colonel Carter and Dr Beckett made an exception in this one case.

Evan and Kat hit a rough patch in their marriage for several weeks as a result of the incident on 997. She had withdrawn from him in several ways. It was all she could do to not jump out of her skin whenever he came near her. Things were fine the first day or two, but then she had a nightmare that caused her to cringe every time he touched her. This went on for a few weeks during which time they had numerous sessions, both together as well as individually, with Dr Heightmeyer in order to work things through. Eventually they were able to overcome this hurdle and in fact had even decided to try and have another baby.

But now all that was about to come to a screeching halt, he feared. What was her reaction going to be when she heard that name again? And how was he going to handle the growing anger that was building from deep within his very soul? Was he even going to tell her? Good judgment was again boarding that train to make the fast track out of his head.

*****

"You okay, Lorne?" Sheppard asked. "You don't look so good."

"I'm fine, sir. Just never thought I'd hear that name again, that's all."

"Maybe you should head back to Atlantis. We can handle things here."

"It's alright, I just needed to get past the initial shock. Besides, there's that barrier across the inbound path maybe sixty meters back. Nothing showed up on the sensors when we came in but this energy anomaly or whatever it is has a tendency to mess with the sensors. The weird thing about the one across the path is it only extends about twenty meters either side. It's like someone put up a short electric fence— a really _really_ nasty one." Evan started walking back down the path to show Sheppard where the energy fence was. When they arrived, Evan picked up a stick and tossed it ahead of him. They watched it sizzle in mid-air.

Rodney had joined the two military men. "_That_ didn't show on the sensors?" he said as he watched the branch burn up in front of him.

"No it didn't, Doc. The only thing that showed on the sensors was the energy signature in the middle of the village. And that one masked any life-signs. This anomaly or whatever messes with the Jumper's sensors but not navigation or the cloak. I've seen it before."

"Well I can't really do anything without some equipment. So unless you can find our gear just lying around here someplace, I need to go back to Atlantis and get some. Just tell the people not to go near this grate and not to leave the village," McKay said.

"Okay, let's spread out and see if we can find our gear. If we can't then you and I will head back to the Jumper. Ronan, you stay here with Lorne and his team in case those people decide to come back. Have the villagers stay in their homes. That way nobody will get too close to this pit or that fence," Sheppard instructed his team.

The men spread out and searched through the various buildings in the village with no luck at finding the gear. Sheppard and McKay headed back to the Jumper while Ronan stayed back with Evan and his team. Evan pressed Ronan for some more details as to what this Fallas may have said. Was he looking for anyone in particular or was he just planning on taking his revenge upon anyone from Atlantis?

"He said he was looking for the man responsible for the death of his brother. Seems some guy by the name of Raddum was among a small group who survived the destruction of their ship. He was one of the men with Fallas," Ronan explained.

Evan tried to hide his growing anger. Ronan didn't say anymore. He, as well as just about everyone in Atlantis, had seen the visible marks of the assault on Kat by the evil Ocontaf. She had been able to hide the emotional scars from almost everyone but those close to her, the closest of course being her husband. Although it didn't take a genius to know they were there.

Just then a man came running out of the woods toward the center of town to where Ronan was standing. It was Leemen, one of the village elders, and he was shouting, "They're back, they're back." All of a sudden the man fell forward having been shot in the back with an energy blast. Ronan fired back in the direction of the initial blast with the sidearm Evan had given him. There were more energy shots from the forest. Evan and his men were spread out throughout the village and came running to where Ronan was standing. They were about to return fire with their P-90s when several villagers came running out of the forest with their hands tied behind their backs and long ropes tethered to the bindings. A single man, dressed in what could only be described as pirate clothing, held the ropes.

"Lower your weapons or these people will be shot," a voice called out from the shadows. Neither Ronan nor Evan moved to lower their guns. Evan's men did not make a move to surrender, either. The stranger stepped out from behind a tree and made his demand again, only this time upping the cost of noncompliance. "Lower your weapons or you will all die." Four more pirate-people stepped out of the forest at the same time.

Finally Evan lowered his P-90 and slowly laid it on the ground in front of him. His men followed suit. Evan looked over at Ronan who was still pointing his gun at the strangers. "Ronan, we don't need anyone else getting hurt."

Finally Ronan put his gun on the ground. "Now step over there," the stranger growled and motioned with his own weapon for them to move together in a group off to the side towards the open pit. The man was about to place what looked like a leather cutout shape over the top of the glowing crystals but he stopped. He looked at the pit and realized that there was a tunnel of sorts dug into it. It was obvious that if he put the other-worlders into it, they would simply crawl out.

A large man, dressed in much fancier clothing than the others stepped out of the forest. He looked at Ronan, then to Evan and then to each of his men. Finally he stepped closer to Evan and said. "You are the other-worlder who killed my brother, aren't you?"

Evan could tell in an instant that this was Fallas, the brother of Ocontaf, simply by looking at him. He had the same stringy yellow hair and brown teeth. He was built like his brother, too, tall and husky. In fact, standing close to Ronan he made Ronan look small. This man also had the same disgusting look in his eye that he had seen when Ocontaf lunged at Evan after being shot twice in the chest.

"What's it to you? Maybe I am. If I am, I can tell you this, I'd do it again." Evan was not afraid of Fallas even though he towered over him. In fact the anger inside him was so overwhelming that it was all he could do to contain himself from taking a swing at the guy right there despite having several weapons pointed at him as well as the others. The good judgment train was about to pull out of the station. But somehow Evan managed to maintain his cool.

"I have no quarrel with these other fine people. It is you I have come searching for and it is you who shall pay for your impudence. You will come with me so that I may execute you in the presence of my brother's family," Fallas said flatly. It wasn't a request or an order. It was simply a statement, something not up for debate. Evan was going to accompany him—period.

Ronan stepped forward and got in the big man's face as best he could. "You're not taking him anywhere. Nor are you going to hurt any of these people."

"Is that so? And how do you intend to stop me. You wouldn't be foolish enough to try something with all these weapons pointed at you, now would you? Some innocent bystander might get hurt," Fallas growled at Ronan.

One of the strangers took a step closer to Ronan and pointed his weapon directly at his head. Another stepped towards Evan and pointed his weapon directly at him.

"Like the man said, I'm not going anywhere with you," Evan told Fallas.

Fallas was not happy with the way he was being talked to and so raised his gun striking Evan hard across the face sending him tumbling backwards into a tree. He pushed off, pulled his knife, and lunged at the man, striking him in the forearm causing him to drop his weapon.

Fallas pulled his knife with his other hand and lunged forward. Evan managed to land another jab into his shoulder. He took another stab at the man this time landing the blade in his lower abdomen. Fallas struck Evan across the back with his fists knocking him to the ground. As he fell forward Fallas' blade grazed his thigh, slicing it open. Fallas then kicked him in the gut sending him sprawling across the ground. His head hit a tree stump. At this moment Ronan saw the other guards were distracted a bit so he elbowed the one closest to him sending him flying and then dove for his weapon. He shot Fallas just as he was about to plunge his dagger into Evan's throat. Fallas fell forward onto Evan's upward pointed knife. Ronan then turned and fired on the other four strangers, killing them but not before one of them was able to get off a couple rounds grazing Lieutenant Blake and a couple of the prisoners including a young woman.

Once Ronan had eliminated the threat from the strangers, Captain James ran to where Evan lay. He was bleeding profusely from the wound to his thigh and was unconscious. James knew enough to try and stop the bleeding as soon as possible. If Fallas' blade struck an artery, Evan could bleed to death in a very short time. He reached in his vest pocket for one of the bandages kept there for just such emergencies. He applied pressure and was able to finally control the bleeding. If he was in time remained to be determined. Evan was alive but unconscious.

Ronan untied the villagers and checked to see if Leemen was dead or alive. He was still alive, barely. The strangers whom Ronan had shot were all dead. A couple of the villagers went to attend to their own injured people while Lieutenant Powell tended to Blake.

James called out to Ronan, "How many more of these guys were there the first time around? We really need to get the major and the rest of these people back to Atlantis."

"There were maybe four or five more that I saw. But there are still more people from the village. This handful that came from the forest plus the ones that were in the pit with us are only maybe half of the population. My guess is the strangers who aren't here are guarding the rest of the townspeople," Ronan answered.

He was about to start questioning the people who had come out of the forest when Colonel Sheppard's voice came across Evan's radio. "Lorne, come in."

Ronan reached for the radio and answered. "Sheppard, we have some injured people here that need to get back to Atlantis right away."

"What happened, where's Lorne?"

"He's one of the injured. Got cut pretty bad and is unconscious at the moment. The strangers came back and… well, they're dead now."

"On our way. Sheppard out." The Jumper came into view and the villagers cleared a spot for them to land.

Once on the ground Sheppard told the villagers to get the injured into the Jumper while he went over to check on his own people. Lieutenant Blake was not too badly hurt and was able to walk under his own power. Evan was awake by now but Captain James did not think he should try walking to the Jumper. One of the townspeople brought a crude stretcher and they were able to use it to carry the major back to the Jumper.

By now McKay had gone to again work on trying to deactivate the energy field that was covering the grate. He was a little annoyed at Ronan for killing all the strangers. But Ronan reminded him that they were probably not all dead as there were still several missing villagers. He also showed Rodney the leather cover the one stranger had.

Sheppard told Powell to take the injured back to Atlantis and had James remain with him. They would see if they couldn't locate the remaining population and deal with the rest of the strangers.

*****

Powell took off, dialed back to Atlantis and informed them of the situation. He requested a medical team meet them upon arrival.

When Kat heard the call for a medical team to go directly to the gate room, her heart skipped a beat. She knew Evan was on a rescue mission and this could only mean something had gone wrong and someone was injured. There were a couple of other teams off world at the time but she just instinctively knew it had something to do with her husband.

Dr Beckett and two medical techs went to meet the incoming Jumper. Kat stayed behind in the Infirmary along with Dr Keller, who had just come on duty. It wasn't too long before the medical team was back with the injured. Evan was on one of the gurneys while the injured man, Leemen, was on another. Kat went to Evan's side. He opened his eyes as she took hold of his hand.

"I'll be fine, just got a bit of a bump on the head and a cut on my leg, it's not as bad as it looks." It was all Evan could do to sound upbeat and positive because he didn't want to alarm her but it was obvious the cut was worse than he let on. Captain James had done an excellent job of controlling the bleeding but nonetheless, there had still been a substantial amount of blood loss and that had Dr Beckett concerned. Evan was showing some signs of shock, confusion, decreasing alertness and rapid pulse.

Beckett had been briefed as to the extent of the injuries Evan had sustained including the period of unconsciousness he suffered. Lieutenant Powell also told the doctor that he had also shown some signs of confusion, not really knowing where he was for a short time. The doctor wanted to get a scan as quickly as possible to determine if there were any underlying head injuries and to get a better look at the leg before removing the pressure bandage.

Kat could tell by the amount of blood on Evan's pants that he had lost quite a bit but he appeared alert and responsive when he talked to her so she tried not to be too alarmed by it and went back to helping the other injured people that had been brought in. She went to the young woman who had been hit with an energy blast and began to treat her. The woman had some severe burns and was in a lot of pain but she was going to be okay.

Evan's scan did reveal a concussion and that the artery in his thigh had been nicked. He was lucky that Captain James had been able to get to him in a timely manner and put the pressure dressing on when he did. It was also a good thing that Evan had not been allowed to walk as it might have created further damage and continued bleeding. He was taken to surgery where Carson removed the bandage and repaired the artery. Evan required just over two pints of blood to replace what he'd lost.

Kat finished up helping treat the others who had come in from Pulantin and went to see how Evan was doing. He had been out of surgery for a while and seemed to be resting comfortably. She leaned over and kissed him gently on the forehead. He opened his eyes and looked at her.

"Hey you," she said to him, taking hold of his hand and sitting down on the bed next to him.

"Hey yourself," he answered reaching out to touch her face.

"How you feeling?"

"Got a bit of a headache and my stomach is kinda queasy, other than that, great."

"Okay, I'll see about getting you something for your stomach. You've got a concussion so the nausea is something to be expected. Do you have any dizziness or blurred vision?"

"I don't know, really. I haven't been able to keep my eyes open long enough to try and focus on anything. I've got a bit of a headache and my stomach is kinda queasy, though." Evan seemed to have forgotten he'd mentioned those symptoms only a moment earlier.

"Yes, honey, you mentioned that. I'll see about getting you something for your stomach. You just lie back and rest." Kat was a little concerned that he was repeating himself. She got up and went over towards Carson who was checking on another patient. He saw her heading in his direction.

"How's the Major doing, Kathy?" He asked.

"He's complaining of nausea and a headache which are to be expected. Maybe I'm overreacting but he repeated himself in regards to those symptoms, as if he forgot he mentioned in only moments earlier."

Carson went to the medicine cabinet and got something for Kat to give Evan for his nausea. "I wouldn't be too concerned just yet, Kathy. We'll just have to watch him."

"Thanks, Carson. I'm off in about half an hour but I'll probably stay here tonight and keep an eye on him." Kat took the medication and went back to Evan. He looked to be asleep but must not have been because he opened his eyes as she came near.

"Hey, honey," he said as she came close. He lifted his hand and she took hold of it.

"I got you something to settle your stomach." She handed him the pills and reached for the glass of water on the table next to the bed.

"Oh good, you must be a mind-reader. I was going to tell you my stomach was upset." He took the pills and the glass.

Kat just smiled as she sat down on the bed next to him. This was the third time he'd mentioned his stomach being upset. He just couldn't get it through his head that he'd told her about it when she first came over to him. Another sign of a concussion, Kat reminded herself. It wasn't all that unusual and she'd seen it before in the ER, but it was a different feeling, entirely, when it was a loved-one experiencing this problem.

"You'll feel better after a good night's sleep, honey. I'll stay here with you for a while." She touched his face and took the glass from him, setting it back on the table. He reached up, pulled her into him and kissed her. She laid her head on his chest.

*****

Evan spent a restless night in the Infirmary waking several times complaining that his stomach was still upset. In fact he actually did get sick a couple of times. Kat stayed with him the entire night helping him get through the periods of nausea and vomiting as well as the confusion that was still affecting him. He couldn't seem to recall what had happened before and immediately after the fight on Pulantin and he never really woke up long enough when he wasn't feeling sick to try very hard at remembering. No matter, Kat told him, it would come in time.

Colonel Sheppard and the rest of his team as well as Captain James returned early in the morning and while they were getting their post-mission med checks the colonel stopped to check up on the injured. He was happy to report that all the _bad guys_ had been dealt with and the villagers rescued without further incident to any of them. Sheppard had instructed the men to not go into too many details as to whom the _bad guys_ were until after he had had the chance to speak to Lorne about it. He did not want to upset Kathy. It wasn't really necessary to remind any of them of this, though.

The injured villagers would probably be kept in Atlantis for a couple of days. The young woman who had suffered the burns would probably be kept a bit longer as would Leemen.

Kat wanted to ask the colonel what had actually happened and had even started to when Evan woke up again with a severe headache and more nausea. She had to go and get him some medication. Sheppard told her that when the major was feeling better he was sure he'd tell her all about it. The colonel made a hasty retreat saying something about mission debriefing and needing some sleep himself. So Kat was left to continue wondering what had actually happened to her husband and the others other than what was obvious by their wounds.

By the middle of the morning, Evan's nausea and vomiting subsided considerably and his mind seemed to clear. He was starting to remember what had happened after he was injured. He remembered being brought back to Atlantis and to the Infirmary although he still seemed a little fuzzy on the details of just how he'd gotten injured. His memory of the events before the actual injuries occurred was still eluding him. He remembered going to the planet but that was about it. This concerned Kat because she did not know if he actually didn't remember what happened or just didn't want to talk about it because it might upset her. She got the impression there was more recollection than he was letting on.

Dr Beckett insisted Evan remain in the Infirmary for another night. Kat stayed with him again although did manage to catch a little more sleep herself than she had the night before. Evan had a much quieter night this time. Carson cleared him to return to their quarters later the second day with instructions to take it easy and not do any strenuous activities at least until the stitches were removed from his leg.

His condition seemed to improve daily. There was no more nausea and he while did have some blurred vision for a couple of days it had cleared up, much to his relief. The only persistent symptom seemed to be the confusion. He was still repeating things over and over again forgetting that he had even said them. The condition was improving slightly because he was starting to realize it after he'd said something that he was repeating himself.

Unfortunately, Dr Beckett would not clear Evan to return to limited duty until his brain had basically unscrambled itself. The leg wound was healing nicely but he had been ordered to use crutches for walking any more than inside their own quarters. That was not a big deal to worry about because Kat had a couple of days off and watched him like a hawk. She did not press him for details from the mission. A part of her really didn't want to know who was responsible for his injuries.

*****

It had been a little over a week since Evan had been released from the Infirmary and it seemed that his memory problems had pretty much resolved themselves. Carson released him to go back to limited duty. Of course there was still no strenuous exercise allowed until the stitches were taken out of this thigh. And that would not be for another few days yet. LD meant being able to attend staff meetings as well as doing some paperwork. He still needed to file a mission report from that day.

Kat was scheduled to work a later shift Evan's first day back. He would go to the staff meeting and then return to their quarters and they would go to lunch before she started work.

The staff meeting went rather well. Colonel Carter tried to keep things moving along smoothly which was pretty easy since it had been a quiet couple of weeks in Pegasus. Other than getting Evan's report from the mission to Pulantin she didn't ask him for much. He just basically sat there and listened. He promised to try and get the report to her in the next couple of days. It was his intention to work on it that afternoon while Kat was gone. He remembered pretty much everything about the day and that he really didn't want to have to tell her about it. But he knew he would have to sooner or later.

After the meeting Evan and Dr Beckett walked to the transport together. Carson said his good-days and went back to the Infirmary. Evan stepped in and for a brief moment stared at the control screen not sure where he wanted to go. Finally he tapped the screen. When the door opened he went down the corridor to his quarters. He waved his hand over the crystal and the door opened.

"Can I help you, Major?" It was Lieutenant DeeDee Carpenter, an Air Force engineer who had joined the expedition a little over seven months earlier.

"I… ah… I'm sorry, Lieutenant, I guess I got turned around and forgot where I was going. These used to be my quarters before I got married." Evan turned around and started back down the corridor to the transport. The lieutenant followed him out.

"Would you like me to go with you, make sure you get back?" She asked.

"That won't be necessary, I know where I went wrong." He had stepped inside and was looking at the screen. It was obvious he really wasn't sure where he wanted to go. Carpenter stepped in and tapped the screen. She had been to their quarters on one occasion having brought some things from Earth for Kat.

The doors opened and the two of them walked out. Evan looked around as if not sure this was the right place either. Now granted all the corridors pretty much looked the same in Atlantis, but sometimes you could just tell if you were in the right place or not. Together they walked to the door of Evan and Kat's quarters. DeeDee rang the chimes.

"Come in," Kat called from inside.

When the door opened she was a surprised to see Evan standing next to the lieutenant. What surprised her more than seeing the two of them together outside her door was the fact that Evan hadn't just walked in. Why did someone else have to ring the chimes?

She could see the confusion still on his face although it seemed to dissipate when he saw her and the inside of their quarters. "What's wrong?" She knew something must have happened.

"It was nothing, hon, I just got a little turned around, that's all. Ended up at my old quarters, which are now the lieutenant's. She just wanted to make sure I got home safely, I guess," Evan said as he walked inside. He leaned in and gave her a kiss, trying to alleviate some of her concern.

"Thanks, DeeDee. I appreciate you making sure he got here in one piece. I guess we're gonna have to keep a better eye on him for a while. Hopefully this won't happen again. I'm really sorry. I hope he didn't upset you."

"It's okay, Kathy. My favorite uncle is a doctor. I've heard a lot of stories. Don't worry about it; I'm sure it won't happen again. As for his walking in on me, I was just doing some reading. I'll maybe keep my door locked while I'm in there for a while. I'd rather not have to move to new quarters, I kinda got the place the way I like it." DeeDee tried to make light of the situation. It wasn't like Evan had walked in on her coming out of the shower or anything. She was more startled than anything. And he was probably way more embarrassed then he let on to her.

After the lieutenant left, Kat turned to Evan. He had sat down on the sofa. She looked at him with some concern and a lot of love on her face as she walked over to where he was sitting. She sat down beside him and took his hands in hers. "You okay, honey?"

By now Evan's expression had changed from calm to one with a fair amount of fear. He didn't really understand what was happening to him. He felt almost like he had no control over what he did, like he was on the outside looking in instead of the inside looking out. This was the first time in several days since his release from the Infirmary that he'd experienced anything odd or out of the ordinary. It was a little unnerving.

"Honestly, I don't know," he answered. "I don't even remember getting in the transport and going down to the crew level until I walked into the lieutenant's quarters. Then it was like I abruptly snapped out of whatever daze I was in. I guess it's time to go pay a visit to Dr Beckett."

"I think we should, but I'm sure he's just gonna tell you it's not that unusual to have memory problems after a concussion. Guess yours was a little more severe than originally thought. It's just gonna take time, babe." She leaned in and hugged him. He hugged her back and held her tight.

Kat and Evan went down to the Infirmary and saw Dr Beckett. He ran another scan that did not reveal anything unusual. He pretty much told Evan the same thing Kat had—it was going to take some time for everything to return to normal. He'd taken quite a blow to the head.

*****

It took almost a month before Dr Beckett felt Evan could go back to full active duty. His leg had healed nicely and other than the one time he ended up back at his old quarters there had been no more notable memory problems. There was just one thing that was weighing on his mind and that was deciding whether or not to tell Kat who had been responsible for his injuries. He had convinced Sheppard, Ronan, McKay and even Colonel Carter to not mention Ocontaf's name to her. He had also spoken to the members of his own team. If Fallas' name came up that was one thing but he would prefer to give her the details himself, when he was ready. They all agreed and they all understood why.

Evan really didn't have to worry about her pressing anyone for details. She could see the pain on his face whenever she asked him about that day so the subject had pretty much been dropped. When he was ready to talk about it, he would. Only once did she encourage him to talk to Dr Heightmeyer if he thought it might help. He actually took her suggestion and did go see the base psychologist when he thought he was ready to tell Kat the details of what had happened on that day. He wanted to make sure he was going about it the right way because he was sure it was going to upset her. It was also a bit of a forewarning for the doctor in case there came a need for her services afterwards.

Kat had finally come to the end of a rather long stretch of on-duty time and was looking forward to a few relaxing days off. Evan had been back to active duty for a little more than a week but had not been on any off-world missions as yet. He had a couple of free days as well and they thought they would spend the time quietly together. Granted they had had a lot of time together while he was recovering but after the initial few days Kat had actually gone back to working her regular shifts. So their time together was not really all that relaxing.

Although he was looking forward to some quality time alone with his wife, he thought that it would probably be the best time to broach the subject that he was dreading getting into with her—that his injuries were inflicted on him by Ocontaf's brother Fallas. Painful memories were bound to surface and he wanted some uninterrupted time to help her deal with them.

It was nearly dinnertime when Kat got off duty. Evan was going to meet her in the cafeteria and they were going to grab a bite. Afterwards they planned to check out a movie from the library and watch it in the privacy of their own quarters. At least that was what Kat thought the plan was. Evan had agreed with it only because he was going to wait and see how her day went before deciding on whether or not tonight would work out for their little discussion.

"So what do you want to watch tonight? Funny, scary, gory or romantic?" Kat asked as they were finding a place to sit after getting their food.

"I don't know, what kind of day did you have? What are you in the mood for?" he asked.

"Oh, I don't know, it was a pretty slow day, really. The past couple haven't been too bad. Just long days, like usual. Those can be more tiring when it's slow, though. Not that I don't like slow, don't get me wrong. Slow is good. That means nobody has gotten hurt or sick. I guess I don't really have a preference as to what we watch. What are you in the mood for?"

"Well, actually, honey, I'd really prefer skipping the movie tonight. I have some things I want to talk to you about." Evan decided her day didn't sound that awful and so it might be a good time for him to tell her about what happened to him on Pulantin.

"Sure, if that's what you want. Any particular topic you want to cover?" She figured she knew what topic he wanted to get into and she was ready to hear it although there was a part of her that was dreading it at the same time.

"Why don't we wait till we're alone? I'd really rather not get into it here." He tried not to alarm her. It didn't look like she was too worried—yet.

They finished their dinner without bringing the subject up anymore. Dr Keller and Maggie, one of the nurses, joined them when they were about half way through and so they spent the rest of the time just chatting.

"So, Kath, you have a couple days off, right?" Jen asked with a rather knowing gleam in her eye. "Any Pegasus Galaxy-shattering plans?" She knew that Evan and Kat had been trying for another baby.

"Nope, nothing that would make good headlines. I think we're just going to take it easy and spend some quality time together," Kat answered. She knew what Jen was getting at so she put a little emphasis on the 'quality time' part of her answer.

Jen just smiled and nodded. Kat and Evan had finished eating so they said their goodnights and headed back to their quarters.

*****

Evan and Kat walked back to their quarters in silence. He didn't know what to say and she didn't want to push him. He'd start when he was ready. She had known for a while that whatever had happened to him on Pulantin was weighing heavily on him. That was one of the main reason's she had suggested he go see Dr Heightmeyer. She also knew that he had in fact done so recently. Apparently his little talk with the doctor was enough to get him to feel he was ready to open up to her. So she was going to let him do it on his own time.

They reached their door and Evan waved his hand over the crystal to open it. They walked in and he headed to the sofa. She took his hand and stopped him turning him around to face her. She took both his hands, pulled him close to her, and kissed him. He put his arms around her and held her close, kissing her back.

They stood in the middle of the room holding each other for several minutes. Finally she pushed back and looked him in the eye. There was love and understanding on her face. It wasn't necessary for him to need reminding just why he fell in love with her in the first place but the look on her face was just that—a reminder. All of a sudden he wasn't so sure he was ready to bring up the unpleasant subject of that fateful mission a month earlier. He didn't want to see her upset.

Finally Kat spoke. "This is about the mission to Pulantin last month, isn't it? Are you ready to tell me what happened?"

"Yes it is and I thought I was ready to tell you about it but I'm not so sure now. I don't know where or how to start." He had walked over to the sofa and sat down still holding her hand. She sat down next to him.

"My mother always told me the best place to start is the beginning. So why not start there. I met you across from the armory before you left. What happened after that?"

Evan took a deep breath, took hold of both her hands, kissed her again and proceeded to tell her the entire story, complete with names and relationships. He watched every muscle in her face to gauge her reactions as he went along.

Her expression changed from the love she had for him to the concern she had felt when he came into the Infirmary on the gurney to the sheer horror of the memory of the evil Ocontaf and what he had done to her. She started to tremble at the mention of his name. Evan wanted to stop but she insisted that he go on telling her what had happened. He finished up with the information that Colonel Sheppard had given him about the successful freeing of the rest of the captured villagers and the demise of their captors. It was a pretty safe assumption that this would be the last time that any of them would have to deal with the likes of the Pirate People of Pulantin.

Kat was visibly shaken by what Evan told her. He reached out to comfort her and while she allowed him to hold her, he could feel her starting to withdraw from him again. He figured it was a sure bet there would be little or no chance at baby making for at least the next several days.

Evan and Kat spent the better part of the next two days alone helping each other try and deal with the memories of what had happened to both Kat several months ago and what had happened to Evan just a short time ago. She wouldn't leave the room and Evan went down, got their meals, and brought them back to their quarters. He told her that if she wanted to go see Dr Heightmeyer and talk with her, he understood completely. In fact he had forewarned the good doctor that he was going talk to her about this subject and her services might be needed.

By the time they were both scheduled to return to work, Kat had worked past the majority of her own bad memories. Instead of being afraid of his touch, she welcomed it. They talked about that, too. It was as if his being injured by someone who at least had ties to the man who assaulted her was something that brought out the maternal instinct in Kat. She was able to let go of her own painful memories to try and comfort the one she loved. If anything, this only strengthened her resolve to get pregnant and give the man she was so deeply in love with a child.

***** ^^^


	3. Ne Obliviscaris

_Life brings a whole rainbow of feelings. It's up to us to figure out what to forget and what not to forget._

_**Ne Obliviscaris**_

Evan stepped out of the transport just in time to see Kat going into their quarters. He made his way down the corridor and went inside. She was sitting on the small sofa with her head back and her eyes closed. Her head snapped forward and her eyes opened when he came in.

"Hard day, babe?" he asked making his way across the room to her. He sat down next to her, put his arm around her shoulder and gave her a kiss.

"No, not so much hard as it was long. Yesterday was long and I haven't slept well the past few nights," she said after kissing him back.

"I thought I felt you get out of bed a couple times last night."

"Yeah, it seems my body's time clock has gone crazy the past week. I'm getting morning sickness in the middle of the night. Makes it really hard to sleep when I keep getting up because my stomach is rolling and I feel like puking."

Kat was just over four weeks pregnant with their second child. They had found out about a week earlier when she was having some stomach issues. It was one of the things that prompted her to get checked out. After the loss of their son a little over a year and a half earlier they decided that when or if she became pregnant again they would return to Earth as soon as possible. So Evan put in for a transfer back to the SGC. Kat was under contract as a civilian and was able to request a similar transfer although no position could be guaranteed meaning she might have to find employment on her own. Their requests had been approved and they were preparing to move back. They both had some loose ends to tie up and were hoping to leave within the next couple of weeks.

"I know it's going to be a hectic week or so getting ready to head back to Earth and I hate to keep harping on this but you really need to start taking better care of yourself. We have time and you don't have to get everything done in the first two days. I know you've had more trouble with being sick this time. I'm just saying try taking a little time for yourself, that's all."

"Evan, I don't need you to lecture me on taking care of myself. I'm fully aware of what I should and shouldn't do." Kat was tired after some long days and several miserable nights. She was starting to get irritated with him and it was coming through in her tone of voice.

"I'm not lecturing you. And I'm not trying to tell you what to do. I'm just saying maybe slow down a bit."

"Just stop it." She stood up and headed towards the door. "I can't do this. I can't stay here and argue with you. I'm going for a walk." She grabbed her jacket from the top of the dresser where she had dropped it when she came in and reached for the door crystal.

Evan had gotten up to follow her. He reached out and grabbed her arm. "Katherine." His tone was uncharacteristically stern. He had only called her that once and that was when he said his wedding vows almost two years ago 'I, Evan Marcus Lorne, take you, Katherine Lorraine Anderson, to be my lawful wedded wife'.

Kat shot him an icy glare as she pulled her arm free. "If I stay I'm going to say something we'll both regret." She waved her hand over the crystal. The door opened and she stormed out and straight for the transport. Once inside she just leaned back against the wall for several seconds. Finally she tapped the screen.

This was the first time Evan could remember them ever having a fight. Over the past couple of years there had been plenty of tense situations crop up between them, not to mention the marital problems they had after her time on M38-997, but this was the first time things had ever escalated to this level. However this was also the first disagreement they had experienced since Kat got pregnant again. Obviously her hormones were playing a big part in her reaction to his concern.

When Kat entered the transport she really did not have a plan or idea as to where she was going. She just needed to get out of there and away from Evan before she said something she couldn't take back. She had just tapped at the screen not really paying attention to where it was she was going to end up. When the door opened she decided that where she ended up was not where she really wanted to be. She had two favorite places in Atlantis. One was a balcony on the south pier the other was the library in the east tower. The balcony was where Evan did a lot of his painting. It was also where he had taken her to talk about their past shortly after she had arrived in Atlantis. It soon became _their_ place. She chose the library.

Evan couldn't believe he had actually grabbed hold of his wife's arm like he did. He had never so much as raised his voice to her and would never ever lay a hand on a woman in anger. He held a particular disdain for any man who would. And God help the man who touched his wife with the intent to harm her. Evan's mind went back briefly to the time he may very well have beat a man to death on M38-997 for what he did to her. He also couldn't believe the look she gave him as she pulled her arm from his grasp. Granted it was probably well deserved, but it was a look he could not remember ever seeing in her eyes. And what was going through her mind that could be so bad that she didn't want to say aloud. He needed to find her.

He figured she had to be in one of two places, either their balcony or the library. Given her state of mind and apparent feelings towards him at the moment he doubted she would go to the place they had shared many special moments together, just the two of them. He would try the library first.

*****

Kat was sitting alone in one of the stuffed chairs at the far end of the library. She was rubbing her forehead with one hand and the other one rested on her stomach. She had her eyes closed. Evan came down the corridor and could see her sitting there through one of the many full-length windows. There were a couple of entrances to the room and so she did not hear him come in the one farthest from her.

Even though Kat did not hear Evan enter the room, she sensed a presence and opened her eyes. She lifted her head allowing her fingers to rest at her chin. There was no evidence that there had been any tears whatsoever. She slowly stood up and walked towards him in silence. The hand that had been at her face had dropped to her stomach. She was gently rubbing it.

Evan stood there not sure what to expect. Was she going to hug him, hit him or holler at him? Kat was not a violent person and usually could diffuse a tense situation with either a few well-chosen words or a look. But this time it was different. He could not read her face. It was as if it were a blank canvas waiting for someone—him—to paint an expression on it.

When she reached him she threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly. Evan returned the gesture and buried his face in her hair. When he let her go he reached up and took her face in his hands and looked into her beautiful green eyes. She diverted them away from him. That was something she had never done. What he saw in the brief moment before she looked away was something he could only remember seeing once before and that had been shortly after the death of their son. And it wasn't so much what he saw, but what he didn't see. There was no anger, no hatred and no love, not even sadness. There was just empty. He almost wished she had hit him or at least started yelling at him. That would have been a lot less painful than seeing her with that empty expression again.

An unsettled feeling began welling up inside him. When he first saw her across the room she had her hand on her stomach. She was almost caressing it when she came towards him. And the expression on her face or more aptly the lack of expression—could she have lost this baby, too, just now, and couldn't find the words to tell him? He hugged her again, tightly and whispered, "Are you alright?" He dreaded her answer.

"I will be. Now that you're here."

Kat's answer didn't do much to alleviate his growing dread. He had to ask. "And the baby?"

"The baby's fine," she whispered to him while holding onto him closely.

Evan let out a deep sigh of relief. "I was afraid something had happened. The way you were holding your stomach and that look of emptiness in your eyes." She just held on tighter as if by letting go she would fall and not be able to get up again.

Evan loosened his grasp on her and gently turned towards the door. He walked her slowly to the transport at the end of the corridor and entered. "Let's go home." He tapped the control screen.

*****

Once back inside their quarters, Evan helped Kat sit down on the sofa and sat down next to her. He put his arm around her shoulder and held her close. "Do you want to talk about it, honey?"

She leaned into him and sighed deeply. Then, "I feel guilty."

"Guilty? For what?" Evan had a feeling he knew what she meant. He felt it too.

"For leaving him here," she said softly.

"I know. I feel it too. But we knew this day would come sooner or later. If it weren't because of this," he placed his hand on her stomach, "it would be for some other reason."

"I know, it's just that it makes me sad." She knew he was right but it really didn't make it any easier.

"We have the rock garden vase you made. So we'll always have a part of him with us." Kat had saved a portion of their son's ashes and incorporated them into a vase with some small stones and sand from the mainland. It was actually a very pretty piece and unless one knew what was in it, there really was no way to tell it contained their baby's ashes.

"You're right. But I can't help it. I guess it's the hormones doing their thing. I'm sorry for getting angry and storming out on you."

"It's okay. I'm sorry I upset you. I should have been a little more considerate."

She hugged him and gave him a kiss and then snuggled down into the crook of his arm.

*****  
^^^


	4. Fringe of Darkness

_What happens when our worst nightmare invades the peacefulness of life?_

_**Fringes of Darkness**_

Major Evan Lorne pulled into the driveway of the small ranch house he shared with his wife, Kat. He saw her car in the garage along with her bike. She should be home. After turning the engine off he sat a few moments before getting out and going inside. He knew she wasn't going to be too thrilled with what he had to tell her but she would understand.

Katherine Anderson Lorne was sitting at the desk reading an on-line newspaper when her husband came in. She turned around when she heard the door close.

"Hey hon. I thought I heard the truck. You're home early."

"Yeah, I know. Things got rearranged a little today, so I thought I'd come home and spend a little quality time with my two favorite girls." He crossed the room and gave her a kiss then bent down and kissed her belly. Kat was about 29 weeks pregnant with their second child. All indications were that she'd carry this one to term and give birth to a healthy baby girl in eight to ten weeks.

"So how _are_ my two favorite girls doing this fine day?"

"We're doing great. You're daughter has been quite active today. I thought I'd go for a short bike ride before starting dinner and see if it would settle her down some. It usually does. Do you want to come with?"

"Sure, just let me change out of my uniform. I'll be ready in five minutes."

"No hurry, I wanted to finish reading the news first."

A few minutes later Evan emerged from the bedroom in civilian clothes. He was glad he came home early and would be able to accompany his wife on her ride. She'd been biking since they first came back to Earth and had not been told by her doctor to stop. She was in excellent condition so there had been no reason she couldn't keep riding. She was just warned not to get overheated. As she got further along, she tried to do her biking in the evening when it was cooler and she knew Evan would be home so he could come with her. She enjoyed the time together and she felt safer with him along in case anything would happen. If she would hit a stone or something and fall and she were alone things could get bad real fast. She wasn't sure just how much longer she would be able to keep riding. The bigger she got the more she had to work at keeping her balance. So his showing up tonight was good timing.

"I'm glad you came home early today and can come with me. I'm thinking this might be one of my last rides. It's getting too hard to balance and I'm getting nervous about falling. I think I'll just stick to my aerobics and walking."

"I'm glad to hear you're going to put the bike away. I haven't been too comfortable with you going out on it lately. I'd hate to see you fall and get hurt."

There was a bike trail about four blocks from their home. It was a smooth paved path and this time of day should be pretty quiet. They had been riding in silence and had just reached the trailhead along side a small park with a ball diamond and a playground. There were a few benches under some shade trees. "Let's take a short break before going on," Kat said, stopping. She got off her bike and reached down for her water bottle and took a drink. She then took her helmet off, set it on the seat of her bike and went over to one of the benches and sat down. Kat was not used to a bike helmet but it was one of the things that her doctor and Evan had insisted on if she were to be allowed to ride while pregnant.

"Good idea. You're not getting overheated, are you?"

"Nope, that's why I stopped for a rest and some water, so I wouldn't."

"Alright then, as long as you aren't overdoing it." Evan reached down for his water bottle and took a drink also. He got off his bike, went over and sat down beside his wife. He reached out and took hold of her hand. "Honey, I'm sorry but I'm going to have to work late Saturday."

Kat looked at him and furrowed her brow. "How late is late? Saturday night is Cassie's birthday party. And I have a feeling they're planning a baby shower for us, too. I don't think I'm supposed to know, I think it's supposed to be a surprise."

"I know but it can't be helped. I have an F-16 check ride to give but it has to be a night flight and the guy is shipping out Monday. Only he won't even be getting here till early Saturday morning. I'm really sorry. I should be able to make it; it'll just be later that's all. Sunset is about 7:15 that night so I think I can make it by 9 o'clock. I hope Cassie won't be too disappointed." Evan leaned over towards Kat and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"I'm sure she'll understand, although she won't be happy about it."

Evan looked at his wife. He could see the disappointment on her face even though she was trying hard to hide it. It seemed that the past month or so he had been able to read her face a lot better than he had been before. He figured that it was more due to her pregnancy and not having the strength to hide things from him than his being able to read her better. He had accompanied her to almost all her doctor's appointments and so he know she was doing well but her energy levels were draining much more rapidly lately. He was happy to hear that she was ready to give up the bike riding at least for a while. The past couple of weeks it seemed she was tiring more quickly. She had another appointment in two days and he intended to bring this up to the doctor if she didn't. He tried not to worry but couldn't help it.

"Honey, why don't we turn back? I think we've gone far enough for tonight. Don't get upset with me, but you look tired. Maybe I should have waited till we got home to tell you about Saturday." Evan stood up still holding Kat's hand and helped her up off the bench. They started walking back to their bikes.

"That's okay. I don't think it would have made a difference. I am getting tired. I didn't realize it till we stopped. I'm ready to go home. This past couple of weeks I have noticed I don't have the stamina that I used to. Maybe I'll mention it to Dr Taylor on Thursday. Are you going to be able to come with me?"

"Of course. I wouldn't miss it. I'm already on the calendar to be off that day. And I'm glad you are going to talk to her about how tired you're getting. If you weren't, then I was planning on it. How about we go home and I'll make dinner? You can rest."

"Anytime I can get you to cook sounds good to me." Kat was a good cook even though her skills had been a little rusty when they first came back. After all, she hadn't had to do any for over two and a half years. But it came back to her quickly and she usually enjoyed it. Evan was a pretty fair cook himself and they would spend a lot of time in the kitchen working on meals together. So it wasn't like his offer to make dinner was something she had to be nervous about.

*****

_THWACK!!! _All of a sudden Kat's head whipped toward Evan and she stumbled. He caught her before she fell. A baseball dropped by her side. She'd been hit in the head by a line drive that came from the nearby park.

"Arrgh!" She grabbed at the left side of her head.

"Kat!" He helped her back to the bench and eased her down. He then went around to her left and took her hand away from the side of her face to see what damage the ball has done. "Let me see." There was a small stream of blood coming from her ear.

She looked up at him. "I'm okay, honey, more startled than hurt, I think. Wow, that's gonna leave a mark."

"You're not okay. You nearly got knocked off your feet by a baseball to the head and you have blood coming from your ear."

Just then a group of young men dressed in baseball uniforms came running up. They were playing in the park and had seen Kat get hit with the ball. "Lady, are you okay? I am so sorry. Is there anything I can do?" It was the young man who had hit the line drive that struck Kat.

"I don't know," she answered, still holding the side of her face.

Evan had taken his handkerchief out of his pocket and was wiping the blood away from her cheek where she'd smeared it. There was only a trickle coming from her ear but it was a fairly steady trickle.

"Maybe you should get her to a hospital," the young man said.

There were a couple of young women in the group by now and one of them noticed that Kat was pregnant. "Jimmy, she's pregnant. You better call 911."

"I don't think that's necessary…" Kat started to protest.

"Honey, I think we should at least go get this checked out. No telling what might have gotten knocked around in there. You can't take any chances."

"I agree, I need to see a doctor but an ambulance, come on Evan. Let's just go home and you can run me over to Janet. She's at Peterson today."

"I don't think you should walk home, though. And you certainly are not going to ride that bike."

"Look folks, I have my Jeep over in the parking lot, I'll run you home and we can throw the bikes in the back. It's the least I can do. I feel horrible. I hope you and the baby will be okay."

"I'm sure we will." Kat looked up at Jimmy reassuringly.

"Thanks, that would be great." Evan was still dabbing away the blood from Kat's ear.

Jim Martin sprinted across to the parking lot and in just a few moments was back with his SUV. A couple of the other men loaded up the bikes in the back and Evan helped Kat into the back seat of the Jeep Liberty then got in beside her.

It only took a few minutes to get home. Sara, Jim's girlfriend had ridden along in the front seat. She helped Jim get the bikes out of the back while Evan helped Kat out of the back and then into the front seat of his truck.

"Honey would you grab an ice pack from the freezer. I probably should at least get some ice on this before it swells too bad."

By the time he got back, Jim and Sara had the bikes in the garage. Jim had given Kat his card. He was a computer sales agent at one of the electronics stores in town. "Please let me know if there is anything I can do."

"Thank you. But it was an accident. It's not like you were aiming for me." Kat tried again to reassure the young man that she would be fine and that he didn't have to worry about her. The truth of the matter was, she was a little concerned. Her head hurt, as did her ear and it was still bleeding a little. Plus her stomach was starting to churn a bit.

*****

Evan had Kat call ahead and let Dr Frasier know they were on their way and tell her what had happened. When they got to the hospital, Janet was already waiting for them at the ER entrance with a wheelchair.

Janet did a preliminary exam but wasn't able to see anything that would explain the bleeding from the ear, which had stopped by the time they got to the hospital, so she ordered a head CT. She asked Kat if she had any ringing in the ear, blurred vision, dizziness, headache or loss of consciousness. Kat denied them all other than say her head hurt where she got hit. When she asked if there were any other symptoms to report, Kat told her about the queasy stomach she started experiencing when they were leaving the house.

"Let's see if the CT shows anything. I'm also going to get an ultrasound, just to be sure. I would like to keep you here tonight. Is your stomach still upset?"

"Well, maybe a little."

"I can give you something to settle it down, if you'd like."

"Maybe I'll take you up on that. I really don't want to get sick."

So Janet went to get Kat something for her stomach and to set up the CT. A few minutes later she came back with a technician who took her off to radiology.

Evan stayed behind to talk to Janet. "So, Doc, what do you think?"

"I doubt if it's serious, I just want to rule out any inner ear damage or possible concussion."

"Concussion? Is that dangerous to the baby?" Evan was getting a bit concerned.

"I didn't say she had one, we just want to rule it out. She didn't lose consciousness at all, so there is probably nothing to worry about. That's why I want to keep her overnight, to make sure. If everything checks out and she has a good night she can go home in the morning. I assume you'll be staying here with her?"

"Of course, I'm not leaving her here alone."

"I understand. That's not a problem. I'm going to go look in on the CT. It might take a little while, so if you have anything you need to do... I'll do the ultrasound when she gets back down here."

"I guess I better call Colonel Roberts and see about getting off tomorrow. I'm supposed to be off Thursday. Kat has an appointment with Dr Taylor and I was going to go with her."

"Alright. I'll make sure I send copies of my reports and the scans to her before then. And try not to worry, Evan, I'm sure everything will be just fine."

"Thanks, Doc. I hope you're right. Kat always said she was hardheaded. Let's hope she's right."

*****

When Kat arrived at Janet's she was surprised to find a spot to park in the driveway. Cassie had seen Kat drive in and came out to meet her. There was a young man with her.

"We saved you a spot in the driveway to park."

"Thanks, I was wondering how I got so lucky to get up close to the house. This must be the boyfriend. Trent, isn't it?" She extended a hand to the young man who had come to the door of the car to help her out.

"Yes. It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Lorne," he said as he took her hand and helped her out of the car.

"Thank you. You know it's getting harder and harder to get out of that car. And please, call me Kathy. I have never gotten used to being called 'Mrs. Lorne'. I don't know why but I just can't get my mind around it."

"Can I help you with your things, Mrs., er, Kathy?" She had a seven-layer salad and a present for Cassie in the front seat and was grateful for the help.

"Thank you, Trent. Whoever said chivalry is dead has not met you." She smiled and nodded at him then leaned into Cassie, "He seems like a very nice young man. I approve." They both laughed.

Trent went around to the other side of the car and got her things out. Cassie had hooked her arm around Kat's and they were headed around to the backyard. They could see Daniel, Vala and Teal'c sitting at a table apparently sharing in some funny joke. As they rounded the corner they could see Jack hanging up his cell phone and turning off the grill. Janet was standing next to him. They both looked over towards Kat and Cassie with grim expressions on their faces.

Kat had noticed the somber looks on the faces of her friends as she and Cassie walked up to them. "What's up? Why the long faces? Did General O'Neill burn the burgers again?"

"Kathy, sit down here for a minute," Janet said. There was a picnic table next to the grill. Kathy sat on the edge of the table. It was higher and therefore easier to sit on than the bench seat.

"What's wrong?" She asked with growing concern in her voice.

Jack told her about his phone call. "There's been an accident. Evan…"

Kat sat there motionless only hearing a few words here and there. Then she started to tremble slightly. She heard things like 'ejection seat malfunction', 'injured', 'unconscious', 'airlifted' and 'surgery'. Most importantly she heard the word 'alive'. She sat there for a several minutes before she finally spoke. "Take me to him, please."

*****

The ride to the hospital seemed to take forever as far as Kat was concerned. But they finally made it. Daniel had ridden along and was helping her out of the car. Janet went ahead to see if she could learn anything. By the time she returned they were in the waiting room of the ER.

"The air ambulance just arrived. Evan is in an exam room and they are evaluating his condition right now. I'm going to go check up on him." It helped that Janet worked at this hospital as well as the Infirmary at the SGC. It made it much easier for her to find out what was going on. Kat worked at a different hospital.

A short time later Janet emerged and was able to tell them what she knew. "He's being prepped for surgery right now. He has a punctured lung, several broken bones and some internal injuries but they won't know the extent till they get in there. He also has no movement in his legs at this time. They're hoping it is just due to cord swelling. They won't really know much until the swelling goes down and that could take a while."

"Can I see him before they take him in for surgery?" Kat was holding back tears. She'd done a pretty good job of it up till now but wasn't sure how much longer she'd be able to.

"Of course, I asked if you could see him and they said a few minutes would be okay. Apparently he's fighting the anesthesia." Janet walked Kat back to where they were preparing her husband for surgery.

She'd seen many accident victims and knew what to expect in the way of tubes and wires and that the person might not even look like themselves with all the blood, bruising and swelling. But Kat really wasn't prepared to see Evan in such bad shape. He was semi-conscious and saw her when she came in. He reached out his hand towards her. He wasn't able to talk because he was on a ventilator.

Kat took hold of his hand and bent down to kiss him gently on the cheek. She tried to smile at him. "You'll do anything to avoid a party with the general won't you? If you didn't want to come, you could have just said so. You really didn't need to go to this extreme, sweetie."

Evan looked at her and squeezed her hand. He moved his hand towards her belly. She was still holding onto it with both of hers. She let go and he put his hand on her stomach. She covered it with hers. She could see the question in his eyes. "Your daughter is fine, sweetie. We both are. Don't worry about us; you just concentrate on getting better, okay? Let the doctors do their job." She bent down and kissed him lightly on the forehead this time. Another squeeze of his hand and she said, "I love you, Evan, I have to go now. They need to get you into surgery. We'll be here waiting for you." She gently put his hand back down on the bed and watched as he was rolled out and off to the operating room. She clutched her stomach as if hugging her unborn baby.

Janet was there to support her as they walked back to the waiting area. Daniel took her arm. Janet then said, "Look, I'm going to scrub in so I can keep an eye on him. Someone will be down shortly to take you up to the surgery waiting room. I'll keep you posted as to what is happening. Just hang in there, Kathy. He's strong, he'll be okay."

Daniel helped her to one of the double bench chairs. He then sat down beside her. Kat could no longer hold back the tears. She started crying and Daniel put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her into him. She cried on his shoulder for several minutes until someone came to take them up to the surgery waiting area.

Once they made it to the waiting room, Kat said to Daniel, "I guess I should call his parents and let them know what happened. They'll want to be here, I'm sure." Kat was regaining her composure and trying to be strong but there was still a quiver in her voice. "I have the number in my phone." Then to the volunteer manning the information desk, "Is there somewhere I can use a cell phone around here?" The woman told her there was an enclosed outside balcony at the far end of the room that was approved for cell phone use. Kat went out and called Evan's parents.

*****

Evan spent several hours in surgery to pin a broken pelvis and femur and to repair the numerous internal injuries he had sustained. There wasn't much that could be done about the broken ribs but a chest tube did have to be placed to treat the collapsed lung. Kat managed to reach his parents and they were going to catch the next flight available from San Francisco to Colorado Springs. They called her back and let her know they would be there by early afternoon the next day.

After an hour or so in recovery, Evan was moved to ICU where Kat was allowed to sit with him. Janet kept an eye on Kat and made sure she at least ate something even though she really didn't want to. Evan drifted in and out of consciousness for much of the next couple of days. His parents arrived and offered to take shifts sitting with Evan so that Kat could get some rest. She refused to leave and would sleep in a chair much of the time. She felt helpless since there wasn't much she could do for him. This was different than the time he got ill from the poison while in Atlantis. There she was able to at least tend to his nursing needs.

Evan improved physically over the next couple of weeks enough that Kat allowed herself to be taken home to rest. His condition was upgraded from critical to serious. Once his condition was further upgraded to fair he was moved out of ICU. The feeling started to return in his legs although he still had very little movement in them. Kat's in-laws would drive her back and forth to the hospital because neither them nor Evan wanted her driving alone. His father finished setting up the furniture in the nursery, something that they had planned to do the weekend after the accident. Unfortunately Evan's mental state seemed to go in the opposite direction. The closer Kat came to her due date the further into depression he sank. The last thing he wanted to do was miss his daughter's birth and be a burden to his wife. His worst nightmare was coming to fruition.

"Morning, sweetie. How ya doin'?" Kat asked cheerily as she gave him a good morning kiss. She tried to sound chipper and happy when she was with him in hopes it would lift his spirits. She sat down on the bed beside him; as best she could given she was almost eight and a half months along by now. The edge of the bed was high enough to be easier for her to get up from once she sat down.

"Fine," was all he said. He returned her kiss but with not much enthusiasm. She could tell he was down in the dumps.

"Fine? You don't sound fine. Honey, I know you're depressed and feeling sorry for yourself. That's okay. You're entitled to. It's part of the process. What happened to you stinks. You don't have to feel guilty for feeling bad. If you want to feel bad, let yourself feel bad. Okay?" She had turned and was half lying beside him.

Evan reached up and laid his hand on her belly. He felt the baby kick and it brought a brief smile to his face. "I so wanted to be there for you when you delivered. It doesn't look like that's gonna happen now." He tipped his head towards the foot of the bed.

Kat sat up and turned to him. "Says who? I expect you to be there when I deliver our daughter. I don't care if I have to have her in this room or have you wheeled in on a gurney, you will be there. I'm not going through it alone." She had a conviction in her voice that he hadn't heard in a while. She was _telling_ him he _was_ going to be there, no matter what.

That actually brought a smile to his face. There was something about her take-charge attitude. Even giving him permission to feel sorry for himself actually made him feel better. "Thanks, hon." He leaned in and gave her a kiss, this time with a bit more enthusiasm than the first time.

Kat grimaced slightly as she leaned back and took a deep breath. "Oh!" The sudden pain in her stomach surprised her a little.

"What's wrong, hon?" Evan asked with concern.

"It's okay, I've been having some pre-labor pains since last night. Dr Taylor said Monday when I saw her I could expect them to start any time. It's supposed to be normal. But they still feel weird. I've been getting one or two an hour since last night. I just have to keep track of how often and how long they last. Don't worry. Besides, what better place to go into actual labor than here in the hospital, right?"

"Well, if you're sure it's not serious." Evan wasn't convinced this was normal. He had not been able to accompany his wife to the last two appointments because of the accident. But he had to agree that this was probably the best place for her.

"Now, did Dr Hayes come in to see you yet this morning?" Evan nodded. Kat tried to steer the conversation away from her. It helped to take her mind off the lingering pain from the contraction. She knew it wouldn't be long before the pain started in earnest and she would have to focus on it completely. She was very ready to have this baby, as she had been getting more and more uncomfortable with each passing day. She welcomed the pain. "So what'd he say?"

"He said the swelling is continuing to go down in my spinal cord and with any luck I should be able to start therapy as soon as my pelvis and leg heal." Evan told his wife of the doctor's assessment of his condition in a matter-of-fact tone of voice with a hint of disappointment.

"Well, that's good… oh, ah…" Kat was having another contraction and Evan looked at the clock on the wall.

"Honey, that was hardly fifteen minutes since the last one. Are you sure this is pre-labor?"

"Well, it was a couple of hours ago, but now, I'm not so sure. That last one was a little more intense than they have been."

"I think maybe you should call the nurse and let her know what's going on. Who brought you this morning? Mom or Dad?"

"They both did. They said something about doing some grocery shopping so I don't expect them to be back for a while."

"Did you happen to mention to them what was going on?" Evan sounded a little annoyed that she may have kept this from his parents.

"Well, I guess it did sorta slip my mind to mention it. That one a bit ago is the first one I've had since before breakfast."

"Uh huh. Great."

"Hey, don't be mad. I didn't think it was really worth mentioning, I mean I had maybe six or eight since…. Oh, woo, okay that was a lot more intense. Maybe calling the nurse wouldn't be a bad idea. Where's your call button?"

Evan found his call button and pushed it. A few short minutes later a nurse came in to see what he needed. "It's not me, it's Kat. She's going into labor."

Another intense contraction was starting. "Ooooh, okay, that was a good one. I think that was about ten minutes since the last one. And they are lasting a bit longer. Yea, I think this is it."

The nurse who had come in to check on them went out to call ahead to the labor and delivery floor. It didn't take long till a delivery room nurse came in with a wheelchair to take Kat upstairs.

"I want Evan to be with me when I deliver. So either he goes up on a gurney or a wheelchair or I'm staying here." She insisted the nurses promise to get him to her before she allowed herself to be taken away. The contractions seemed to be getting more intense and Kat was letting out little gasps and even cried out. Evan was starting to get worried that she wouldn't make it up in time. But they agreed and she let herself be wheeled away. Another nurse had come in with another chair and was helping Evan get out of the bed.

*****

"Kat, honey, wake up. Are you okay?"

Kat could hear Evan talking to her and thought she felt his hands on her shoulders gently shaking her. She slowly opened her eyes and saw her husband sitting on the bed next to her. She blinked a couple of times and shook her head. She looked around and saw that she was in a hospital bed. Her hand quickly went to her stomach and she finally realized she had no pain coming from down there. She looked up at him and then sat up and hugged him tightly. He hugged her back.

"Oh, God, Evan. I had the worst nightmare. I know it was only a dream but it felt so _real_. You'd been in a plane crash and couldn't walk. I had just gone into labor when you apparently shook me awake."

"I could tell you were having some kind of dream. You were calling out in your sleep as if in pain. Are you?"

"In pain? No, well maybe, my head hurts a little. Kinda like it got hit with a baseball."

Evan laughed a little. "Well, honey, you did get hit in the head with a baseball." Then more seriously, "Yesterday afternoon, remember? We went for a bike ride and just as we were getting ready to leave you got hit by a line drive."

"Oh wait, yes I do remember. We were going to head home. You offered to make dinner and then that's when it happened. I remember some young guy coming over all apologetic."

"Yes, that's right."

Janet had just come in and saw that Kat was awake. "So, how are you feeling this morning?"

"I'm not sure. My head hurts a little and I had the worst nightmare. I don't know whether it's a side effect of getting my head smacked or what, but it certainly was _not_ something I care to go through in real life."

"What was it about?" Janet asked.

"I hate to even try and remember but it's weird, I can remember it as plain as day. And I'm not one to usually remember my dreams. Even if it's a good one I want to remember I usually forget it five minutes after I wake up. But this one was different. I dreamt that Evan was giving a check ride in an F-16 and there was a problem and it crashed. He was severely injured. I hate to think about it, to be honest. He was in the hospital for weeks and I was going into labor when he woke me up. I think the worst part was he couldn't walk. It was truly awful." She reached out and hugged Evan again, not wanting to let go of him.

"Doc, is this from her getting hit in the head or just a coincidence?"

"Well, I'll be honest with you I don't really know. There was no evidence of any concussion when we did the CT scan and the ultrasound was normal. If I had to guess, I'd say it was just a coincidence. Maybe a deep-seated fear of something happening to you while flying. Your guess is as good as mine."

"So can I go home? Or do I have to stay here until I don't have anymore nightmares?"

"Well, I'd like to get another CT and another ultrasound but if everything checks out you can probably go home later this morning. Other than you said your head still hurt, any other symptoms? No blurred vision, ringing in your ears? How's your stomach this morning?"

"My stomach is empty and would like some food in it which is nothing out of the ordinary." Kat chuckled a little implying that she was always hungry lately. "Nope, no blurred vision or ringing in my ears. I feel okay except for the headache and empty stomach."

"Well then, if you want something to eat, go ahead. I'll see to that CT and get you something for the headache. I'm pretty sure you'll be cleared to go home, Kathy. I just want you to take it easy for a couple days, okay?"

"Okay, sounds good to me. Thanks Janet." Dr Frasier left to go see to the CT. Then to Evan she said, "Honey, if you don't mind getting me some breakfast. I'm starved. And I'm sure you're hungry, too. I'll be fine here for a bit."

"Alright, if you'll be okay. What are you hungry for? Or should I just surprise you?" He knew she was feeling better by the fact that she was hungry. It amazed him sometimes how she was always hungry and could eat anything at anytime, yet did not gain a lot of extra weight. She looked great. He was still sitting on the bed when he leaned over and gave her a kiss.

"Just surprise me," she said as she hugged him and kissed him back.

*****

Kat was released early that afternoon with instructions to relax and take it easy for the next couple of days. She had an appointment with her doctor the next day and Evan was off and was going to accompany her. They still had the party at Janet's on Saturday but when Kat told her about her dream and where it started, Janet was reluctant to continue with the party plans. She wasn't superstitious; it was just she figured everyone would be too nervous to have a good time. Plus Evan still had that F-16 check ride to give that evening. He thought about trying to see if he could get out of it and let someone else do it but there wasn't anyone else and like he had told Kat earlier in the week, the guy wasn't coming in till early that morning and he was shipping out Monday. There wasn't a whole lot he could do. Besides, he wasn't sure 'my wife had a bad dream' would be a valid enough excuse.

Saturday came with bright sunshine and calm winds. It was going to be a glorious day. Kat had not slept well the night before worrying about Evan and his flight. She also feared her dream would return and therefore reluctant to even try and sleep. Normally she was not the type of person who put much stock in dreams as a precursor to something to come. She believed to some degree in intuition but that was about it. Her time in the Pegasus Galaxy taught her that many things were possible that one would normally dismiss as absurd. She tried not to worry about him as he kissed her good-bye and left for Peterson that evening. Just as he was pulling out, Janet and Cassie pulled up. Janet had canceled the party till the next weekend when she hoped Evan would be around and everyone would be more relaxed. Evan had asked Janet if she would come and stay with Kat while he was gone just this one time. He knew she was having a hard time getting past her dream. Janet agreed and she and Cassie came over to spend what they all hoped would be an uneventful evening.

"What are you guys doing here?" Kat asked as Janet and Cassie came up the walk towards her as she stood on the porch watching Evan drive away.

"Don't be mad at him, but Evan asked if we'd come and keep you company while he was gone tonight. He knew you were worried and didn't want you to be alone. He asked if Cassie and I would come stay with you for a few hours."

"I'm not mad at him. I know he did it out of concern. I just wish he'd said something to me. I wouldn't have refused the company."

"Well then in that case let's go inside. I brought _Trivial Pursuit _and a couple of John Wayne movies," Cassie said as she hooked her arm in Kat's.

Kat was not able to beat Cassie and Janet at _Trivial Pursuit_. Partly because the version that Cassie brought had questions that pertained to the period during which Kat was in Atlantis. She always gave Cassie a hard time that she was cheating. But she had fun playing anyway. It was a good distraction. There was little if any talk about the baby and nothing said about Evan and his flight. After a couple of unsuccessful attempts at beating Cassie, both Kat and Janet suggested they put in one of the movies while they ate dinner.

Janet had brought a casserole for dinner and Kat made some salad. They ate dinner, watched the rest of one movie and then Cassie and Janet cleaned up. They were just finishing up when they heard a vehicle pull into the drive and a door shut. It was dark out so it was a little hard to see just what type vehicle pulled in. A few minutes later the kitchen door opened and in walked Evan. He had made it through the check ride safely and was home where he belonged. Kat's dream had been nothing but a nightmare brought on by a hit in the head with a baseball.

When Evan walked in Kat almost ran to him. She hugged him tightly and he held her as close as her expanded belly would allow. Cassie and Janet quietly slipped out.

"Thank you for calling Janet to come visit with me tonight. It made the time go by much faster and I worried a whole lot less. Although, I wish you would have told me. I wouldn't have objected," she said while still holding him. Her voice was quivering as she tried to hold back the tears.

"I wasn't sure if you'd get upset so I just thought I'd surprise you. So everything went okay here?" He asked as he led her into the living room and sat her down on the couch. He sat down beside her.

"It went fine. Are you hungry? Janet brought a casserole and there is plenty left. I can get you a plate and whip up a salad if you'd like."

"I suppose I could go for a bite. I didn't eat anything since I left here this afternoon. But I can get it, you sit."

"Nonsense, I'll get it. I'll save that offer to help for when I really need it. Like when I sit down on the couch and just plain can't get up!" She laughed, got up and headed into the kitchen. "Everything went okay, then, tonight, huh?"

"Yeah, pretty much." Evan had gotten up and went into the kitchen with her. She insisted on getting his supper for him but he wasn't going to let her wait on him completely. "There was one thing. I hesitate to even mention it, and maybe I shouldn't. "

"Well now that you brought it up, you don't think I'm going to let you _not_ tell me, do you?" She had taken the casserole and the salad makings out of the refrigerator and was starting to dish up a plate for him. She stopped and looked at him with some concern.

"It was nothing, really. Well, I guess it could have been something. I asked the mechanics to give the aircraft another maintenance check before we got to the airstrip this evening and wouldn't you know it, they found a couple of problems with the avionics. They were able to get us a different plane for tonight."

Kat dropped the spoon she was holding onto the plate and her face went white. She actually had to catch herself on a chair because she thought she was going to pass out. Her stomach leapt into her throat and she felt like she was going to be sick. Evan saw her reaction and reached out to steady her.

"Easy, hon. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you. You better sit down before you fall down." He didn't really expect her to react quite so bad. Immediately he felt sorry he mentioned it.

Kat sat in the chair for a few minutes trying to get her stomach to return to it's proper place. She was shaking. While she didn't like what she had heard, had he kept the truth from her and she'd found out later, things might have been worse. She finally was able to regain her composure and her stomach settled back where it belonged.

"I don't know what would have been worse, finding out now or finding out later." Evan was kneeling down beside her. She leaned towards him and pulled him close to her.

*****

With the potential for the tragedy Kat feared behind them, she and Evan were able to concentrate on the last several weeks of her pregnancy. She had picked out the décor for the nursery and Evan had actually painted it once she had gotten past her sixth month. They didn't really have any fear of a repeat of what happened with their son considering the circumstances at that time, but there was an unspoken agreement to not get too carried away with preparations too early. Evan took a couple of days to paint the nursery and sent Kat off to Janet's for those days. He didn't want her in the house with the paint fumes even though there were very few.

Janet and Cassie had their party the week after Evan's check ride and it was a surprise baby shower for the parents-to-be. The nursery was pretty well setup even though Kat intended to keep the infant in their room close to her for the first few months. She knew she was not going to get much sleep so she figured by having her baby close she would not have to keep getting up and out of bed every time she heard a noise. She knew Evan would probably wake up at every little sound, too, but he was good at going back to sleep so she wasn't too worried about him losing sleep.

Everything went pretty well for the next several weeks. Kat quit working at the hospital right after the little incident with the baseball. Evan didn't like her in the ER setting the further along she got. Her doctor was in agreement since Kat's pregnancy was considered high-risk. Kat did continue doing therapy work for another four weeks. She finally quit because she was just getting too tired and it was harder for her to do much for very long periods. At this time Evan put in for a temporary leave from the SGC and it was granted. He would be working at Peterson teaching some flight courses until Kat had the baby. Then he would take some time off to be with her and his new daughter. Evan's classes only took up about 25 hours a week, so he had plenty of time to spend with his wife.

At just over 37 ½ weeks, Kat went into labor and gave birth to a healthy baby girl— Katrina Jolene Lorne. They would call her Trina.

*****  
^^^^


	5. Echoes in Time

Time is used to sequence events but can a single event be a reflection of what might have been or what is yet to come?

**Echoes in Time**

Major Evan Lorne and his team was on P39-429 observing, from a distance, a small village that had recently been visited by a Prior. The people seemed to be going about their daily business without any worries as to what could happen to them should the Prior return and they not have the appropriate response to his demand that they accept Origin in order to guarantee their continued existence.

After three uneventful days, Evan decided there was nothing further for them to do so he called the mission. It was time to head home. There was an area about 200 meters off to the east of the Stargate they had seen when they first arrived that looked like an abandoned ancient garden. The team decided to check it out on the way back to the Gate. There was a large white stone archway that led down a white stone path. There were etchings in the stone that looked like Ancient writing. Evan assumed it was either a greeting—or worse, a warning. He was somewhat familiar with what Ancient writing looked like although had no idea how to read it. He took out the small video camera and shot some footage of the arch and the surrounding area. No doubt Daniel Jackson would be able to translate and would in fact enjoy seeing it.

On either side of the path were three smaller archways, each one set with different colored stones in the arc itself—one red, one blue and one green. The small archways seemed to lead nowhere. At one time they may have led to other areas of the garden but now it was pretty much just wild countryside beyond. The men walked slowly down the path looking through each arch as they passed. Evan turned and walked through the green one on the right side of the path. His men followed. As each one passed through he received what felt like a mild static shock. When Evan first walked under the arc the stones gave off a slight glow that dissipated shortly after the last man, Lieutenant Buckman passed through.

"Wow, what was that all about?" Buckman commented as he turned back around and saw the stones glowing briefly before going out.

"I don't know, but I think maybe we should just walk back out of here without going through any more of these archways. It'll be dark soon and I think we've seen all we can see here. Let's get back to the Gate and head home," Evan said as he motioned the team to move out. At times Gate travel was a lot like intercontinental flight—night on one continent, or world in this case, and morning on the other. In the case of Earth and P39-429 the time difference was in the range of twelve to fourteen hours.

*****

As Evan walked down the ramp after coming through the Gate he noticed little things that just didn't seem quite right. Not so much wrong just not right. Colors were _off_; the greens were greener and everything else seemed to have a bit of a green tint to it. Sounds seemed a little muffled, like what happens when you go swimming and get water in your ears. His men noticed these differences, too. They mentioned it during their post-mission medical checks but Dr Lam found nothing out of the ordinary with any of them. She said it could have been some side effect of the electrical charge that they felt going through the archway and that if things did not improve by morning to come back and see her.

The mission debriefing went off without a hitch. There really wasn't much to report. The Prior had not returned during the three days they had spent there. The team had been able to avoid being seen by the locals, too. The ancient garden seemed to be the most interesting thing they'd seen the entire time. Once business was taken care of the men were free to head home. On his way out Evan dropped the video camera off by Daniel for him to translate. He wasn't there, so Evan just left the camera and a note.

His wife was starting a new job next week after having spent almost three years as a stay-at-home mom. Evan wanted to make this last weekend a special one, just the two of them. He had made reservations at a fancy resort hotel in town. She only knew they were going to dinner tomorrow night and that arrangements had been made with the neighbor to watch their daughter. What Kat didn't know was that Evan had made those arrangements for the entire weekend. He had planned another one of his famous getaways.

On the drive home Evan noticed things still did not look right. The greens were greener and everything else seemed to have that same green tint he had first seen when he and his team came through the Gate. His hearing had returned to normal, it was just the eyesight that was off a little. He dismissed it as nothing to worry about. After all, Dr Lam didn't seem too concerned about it so why should he; after all he had a romantic weekend alone with his wife to look forward to.

Evan pulled in the drive and shut the engine off. He looked at his house. It looked the same but yet it looked different. _Would you quit obsessing about this and just enjoy the weekend, for Pete's sake! _He got out of the truck and went inside.

Kat was sitting at the kitchen table folding towels. She saw him but did not move to get up. As he crossed the room he felt something was different, like something was missing. He bent down to give his wife a kiss. She leaned away slightly as if his action surprised her.

"You okay, honey?" He asked her, thinking maybe she had come down with a flu-bug while he was gone since that was about the only time she ever avoided kissing him. "You're not coming down with some bug, are you?"

"No, I'm fine," she replied. Her tone seemed a little distant to him and she didn't even look at him. She finished her folding and reached for the forearm crutch that was lying on the chair next to her. She stood up picking the pile of towels up with her other hand and started towards the hall.

"What's with the crutch, hon?"

She stopped in the doorway. "Very funny, Evan. And you can drop the phony 'honey' bit." She shot him an icy look he had only seen once in all the years he'd known her.

"What?" He asked with genuine confusion in his voice. "By the way, where's—" He was about to ask where Trina was when a boy of about twelve came bursting in through the kitchen and down the hall towards the bathroom.

"Marc, how many times have I told you not to slam the door!" Kat hollered as the boy ran through.

"Sorry, mom, but I have to go! Hey, dad, you're home." The boy paused for a few seconds; he actually seemed amazed to see Evan.

"Excuse me?" He looked at Kat, a bit surprised and puzzled. "Did he just call me 'dad'?

"Ah… he's your son, you're his father, what do you expect him to call you? Major?" Kat said sarcastically. She shook her head at Evan as she limped past him.

"He's my what? Where's Trina?"

Kat stopped, turned around and just glared at him. "How dare you, you bastard." He could see tears welling up in her eyes. She threw the towels back onto the table. "You have said some pretty cold-hearted things to me over the years, Evan Lorne, but this takes the cake. Now you're just being cruel." She was half crying half screaming at him. "You can be such an ass sometimes. I knew you blamed me for the accident right from the beginning." She turned back around and limped down the hall to their room, went in and slammed the door.

"Way to go, dad." Marc had come out of the bathroom and witnessed the confrontation between his parents. "It's bad enough you're gone for days at a time and when you do show up you're usually half in the bag. But to stroll in here on the anniversary of Trina's death and blame mom for everything takes a lot of nerve. She's right, you are a real ass." With that the boy turned and went back down the hall towards his mother's room. He gently knocked on the door. A moment later he went in and closed it behind him.

Evan stood in the doorway of the kitchen stunned. Something was terribly wrong. This whole world was screwed up. He had a son who was almost a teenager, his young daughter was dead and his wife, his beautiful wife, was apparently crippled. And what's more, it sounded as if he had turned into a real jerk.

He'd read plenty of briefs and missions reports on alternate realities and parallel universes but never thought he'd actually find himself right smack in the middle of one; especially one that was apparently as screwed up as this one. Did he really have it in him, deep deep down, to be the kind of person he was in this world? The very thought unnerved him a little.

He was torn between going down the hall to try explaining what he thought may have happened and going back to the SGC immediately. He didn't recognize this Katherine Lorne, but he figured he knew her well enough to know that she would be in no mood to listen to him. Furthermore, it appeared that he was such a jerk in this reality that there was little chance that she would believe him anyway. She didn't get angry very often and rarely at him, leastwise not in his reality, but he knew enough to know he needed to give her space and time. Right now, though, he didn't feel time would do any good. It wasn't going to change anything. So he decided to at least try and explain to her what he thought was going on.

He went down the hall to the bedroom and knocked on the door. He could hear muffled cries coming from the other side. "Kat please let me explain. It's not what you think. I'm not the person you think I am."

"It's never what I think, is it? And no, I don't know you anymore. You certainly aren't the man I married thirteen years ago. Just go." There was a mix of sorrow, anger and pure hate in her voice.

The door opened and Marc stepped out. He pulled it partway shut behind him while still holding the knob. "Dad, if you know what's good for you, you'll leave now before you make things worse than they already are." He then went back into the room to try and comfort his mother.

Evan stood there for a few minutes trying to process what he'd heard. Finally he turned and walked back down the hall. He glanced into the living room and saw that it vaguely resembled his own; same furniture arranged the same way, same entertainment center, same computer desk and even the same fireplace. The only things missing were the rock garden vase that normally sat on the mantel and the rose bouquet painting he'd done for Kat back in Atlantis. All the other pictures even had the same frames. There was a portrait of his family, the family of this reality. He saw himself and Kat but this photograph had two children. The boy he just met—albeit a couple of years younger—and a little girl. The girl appeared to be about four or five years old. She looked just like his own daughter, only a few years older. A few minutes later he walked out the door and down the sidewalk. He stopped and glanced back at the house. It looked so familiar and yet he didn't recognize it at all. He was just about to get into his truck to leave when a police car pulled up. One of the two officers inside had flipped the siren on for a brief moment to get his attention. They got out and walked over towards Evan.

"Major Lorne," one of them said flatly with a little too much familiarity for Evan's liking. What were they doing here and how did they know who he was?

"Yes. Is there a problem, officer?"

"My, aren't we formal today. A problem? That's what we're here to find out. What are you doing here?" the first officer said with some annoyance.

"Look, I don't know what this is all about. If Kat called you, I'm sorry, there's been a mistake. I didn't come here to cause any problems." The second officer had pulled his gun from its holster and was holding it at his side. "Hey, what's with the show of force, am I under arrest?"

"That's up to you, Major. We got another complaint of a domestic disturbance," the officer who'd drawn his sidearm said.

"What do you mean 'another complaint of domestic disturbance'?" Just then Kat came to the door. Evan saw her. He called back to her. "Kat this isn't what you think. If you'd please just let me explain."

"You were warned the last time you came here and started trouble that I wasn't going to take any more of your crap. And you know what you can do with your so-called explanations. I'll be filing divorce papers on Monday. They'll be sent to you at Cheyenne Mountain. Good bye Evan." She turned and shut the door.

Evan was disturbed by what just happened and told the officers, "Look, I'm on my way back to Cheyenne Mountain now, so you don't need to arrest me." No one had noticed the Air Force vehicle that had pulled into the driveway. Two airmen got out and started walking towards them.

"Major Lorne?" one of said.

"Now what, you guys want to arrest me, too?" Evan was starting to get a little irritated by all the attention. "I don't want to cause any trouble, I'd just like to get back to the base if you don't mind."

"Relax, sir, that's what we're here for, to see that you get back." One of them turned to the police officers. "We'll take it from here. This is an Air Force matter now."

*****

It had been late morning when Trina came into the laundry room where Kat was just transferring a load of wash into the dryer. "Momma, daddy's gone."

"I know, honey, he's working. He should be home later today or tomorrow."

"No, momma." She held her arms high above her head to form a crude arch. "Daddy's gone. But it's okay, he be back soon," she said matter-of-factly just like she had at first. She then turned around and went back out into the living room.

Kat wasn't sure what to make of her daughter's little announcement. She followed her out and watched her playing on the floor in the middle of the living room with her toy farm animals. There was nothing in her demeanor that suggested she really understood or remembered what she had just said. After a few minutes Kat smiled, shook her head and went back to her laundry. She figured Evan would get a chuckle out of this when she told him. Heck, he might even know what she's talking about.

The rest of the day was like any other day for Kat and Trina when Evan was off world. Kat made lunch and then Trina took a nap. Kat usually took this quiet time to catch up on the computer reading emails or the news or both. If there weren't many emails she would go to the American Physical Therapy Association website and catch up on what was going on in her profession. After Trina's nap the two of them usually took a walk or bike ride to the nearby park or did some other outdoor activity. There was very little television watching in the Lorne household. Trina found it boring for the most part. After their outdoor activity Kat would usually start supper, depending on what time she expected or did not expect Evan to be home. Trina would often help. Not that there was much a toddler could do safely, but nonetheless she wanted to be in the kitchen with her mom.

*****

When Evan arrived back at the SGC, the rest of his team was still there. They had not been in as much of a hurry to get home as Evan was and so were still on the base when _they_ arrived. The _they _being themselves, or more accurately the _them _that belonged _here_. Complicated, yes, but only to an outside observer who knew nothing of the Stargate program and what was _out there_.

Evan started getting a headache the closer he got to the mountain. At first he figured it was just stress catching up with him. However once inside his vision started getting fuzzy and he felt like he was going to pass out. In fact he did after suffering some mild convulsions. He was taken directly to the Infirmary where the rest of his team had already been taken. It seemed that shortly after the _them _that belonged there arrived, the _them_ that didn't started feeling sick.

Once conscious, Dr Lam along with General Landry, Dr Lee and Daniel Jackson tried to explain what was happening to them. Daniel had translated the etching on the archway that Evan had videoed. A rough translation was '_Portals of Life – Echoes in Time_'. There was nothing else that would indicate what would happen to a person if they stepped through one of the other archways. But it was apparent that they must have created some sort of link between realities.

It had been determined that the symptoms Evan and his team were experiencing was a variation of entropic cascade failure, the result of two people representing the same person existing in the same reality at the same time. Dr Lee figured that the electrical discharge Evan and his team experienced when going through the archway was some type of vaccination, for lack of a better term. It was intended to ensure some unpleasant reactions to the individual the closer they were to their otherworld counterpart. They were intended to prevent the visitor from remaining in the alternate reality for too long. And since the symptoms were increasing in severity it was assumed that they were designed to worsen as time went on and the closer the two people were to each other. Either to convince the traveler they needed to return to their own reality or to end the life of the traveler so there would not be two of the same person in that reality. They needed to get the _wrong _Major Lorne and his team back to the planet and back to their own reality as soon as possible. The only problem was that there was no way to know for sure that if Evan and his team retraced their steps and went back through the green archway and down the white stone path, that they would end up in their own reality. It was a risk Evan and his men knew they were going to have to take if they wanted to get home.

It was decided that the Team Lorne that actually belonged in this reality would go to the upper most level and watch from one of the auxiliary control rooms. It was hoped that the further away from Evan and his men they stayed the less the effects of the modified ECF might be, at least long enough for them to get safely through the Gate.

But first Evan asked to talk to the general. He was not able to let the whole situation regarding his other self's personal life go. He asked General Landry what had happened to _his_ Major Lorne to make him so unpleasant. Surely he hadn't been this disagreeable all his life.

General Landry was reluctant at first to reveal anything personal about the men under his command but Evan made a strong case in that he argued it might help him in the future to maybe not make the same mistake. Maybe this could be a glimpse into his own future. He did not tell the general that there was little chance of this being his future because his past had been quite different.

Finally the general agreed and told Evan what had happened to the Major Lorne of this reality to make him who he was today. "It all started about four years ago when he lost both his parents in an earthquake in San Francisco. It was their anniversary and Lorne's sister had planned a big party. Unfortunately Kathy fell from a ladder cleaning the gutters and was injured; she broke her collarbone, I think, and was unable to go. I heard that the only reason she was up on the ladder was because he wasn't there to do the job. Lorne wanted to take the kids but his wife convinced him to stay home with her. She said they would go in a few weeks when her shoulder healed. There was a massive earthquake the night of the party and Lorne's parents were killed, as was his brother-in-law. He always said that if he'd been there either he might have been able to save them or at least been able to see them once more before they died.

"After the loss, the major started volunteering for more dangerous missions. Don't get me wrong, he's an excellent officer and he was never reckless. I heard that about this time he also started drinking. Not to the point it ever affected his job but he'd stop off at a bar more than a couple of times a week before going home. About two years later, his son had a little league ball game and the major was late getting home. His wife was getting set to leave with their daughter; their son was already at the ball diamond. He didn't want her to take the little girl. I guess they got into an argument over his inconsideration in coming home late and then demanding she leave Trina at home with him. He wasn't drunk but had had a couple and Kathy didn't feel he deserved to have his daughter stay home with him. Besides, it was my understanding that the little girl wanted to go see her brother play. She tried to convince him to come to the game with them but he refused.

"Kathy left with Trina, and for some reason lost control of the car and slid into the path of an oncoming semi. The girl was killed instantly and Kathy was pinned in the car for over an hour before they could get her out. Her leg was severely crushed but they were able to save it. However she needs a crutch to get around. After the accident, Lorne became more and more withdrawn from his family. Some people thought he blamed his wife for his daughter's death because she wouldn't just leave the girl home with him. Trina was only like five and I guess the two had a very close relationship. Lorne started drinking more and more on his off time and spent more and more time away from home. When he does go home, I've heard he is rather abusive to Kathy. Verbally, not physically; there has never been any evidence of physical abuse to either her or their son, Marc."

Evan couldn't believe what he had heard. He wished he were able to go knock some sense into himself but knew it was probably too late for that. The damage was done and even before his getting in the middle of it this afternoon it didn't sound as if there was much hope in salvaging anything of the relationship.

Evan wanted to talk to his other self privately for just a few minutes. He wanted to see if he could fix the apparent damage he had done earlier and to try and convince the man to try and reconcile with Kat. Dr Lee and Dr Lam did not think it was wise to allow them to be in the same room for very long. General Landry agreed to set up a private videoconference for them. Unfortunately his other self was as stubborn as Evan was only in an unhealthy way. He wanted nothing to do with trying to save his marriage. In fact he seemed almost thankful that Evan had thrown the proverbial final straw and forced his wife to make a decision. Evan was a little disappointed that his other self was not willing to work things out. He said good-bye and then headed to the gate room to join his men.

Perhaps this Kat was better off without this Evan. He wished her well. He told the general so. "General, could you sometime explain to this Kat what happened today. I don't expect it to change things between her and your me, but I'd like her to know that I am truly sorry for what she has been through in her life."

"I'll see what I can do, Major. Now I think you really need to get going while you're still able." Evan was starting to look like perhaps he was heading for another episode of convulsions or might even pass out. They could see his men waiting in the gate room down below and they weren't looking too good either.

"Thank you, sir." Evan extended his hand to the general. They both headed downstairs and Landry looked up toward the big window of the control room and gave the go-ahead to dial back to P39-429. He wished Evan and his men good luck and watched them step through the event horizon, back to the planet where they would hopefully be able to find their way back to their own reality.

*****

When Evan and his men returned to P39-429 it was pitch black. They were able to make their way back to the ancient garden with the lights on their P-90s although finding the exact route they had taken previously was a little difficult. They found the same green archway they had passed through the first time. After a brief pause looking at the arch, Evan said, " Well, I guess this is it. Let's hope this works and we get back to our reality. I really don't want to go back where we were." He had not told anyone other than General Landry about what happened when he went _home_.

They stepped through in the same order they had originally and just like the first time they received a static shock. Once on the other side they turned around and saw the stones glowing briefly before going out.

"Well, so far so good." Lieutenant Buckman said.

"Let's head for the Gate and see what's on the other side." Evan said as they made their way down the white stone path towards the white archway.

Once to the Gate, Evan dialed Earth and sent his IDC to alert Stargate Command they were coming through. This was going to be an interesting debriefing he thought as he stepped through the event horizon.

Things on the other side looked more normal to Evan and his men. The colors were normal and there was no funny muffling of the sounds. So far it looked like they might be back in their own reality. There was only one way to find out—the mission debriefing.

General Landry met the team as they came through the Gate. "We were beginning to get a little concerned. You were due to either come back or at least contact us over six hours ago. What happened, Major?"

"Well, sir, it's a long story."

"Then I suggest you get down to the Infirmary right away and get your post-mission med checks out of the way. We'll meet back in the conference room in one hour."

"Yes, sir."

*****

Trina was watching Kat cut up some carrots when all of a sudden she said; in the same matter-of-fact tone she had used earlier in the day, "Daddy's back."

Kat looked surprised and replied, "No, honey, daddy isn't home yet."

"No, he's back." She made the same arch type movement she had in the morning when she announced he was gone.

"Honey, what do you mean? Earlier today you said he was gone, now you're saying he's back. I don't understand what you're talking about."

Trina put her arms above her head and made an arch again. "Daddy was gone and now he's back."

Kat was totally confused. She didn't know what the arms above the head arch was all about and it was apparent that Trina knew something but was much too young to explain it. Kat figured it wasn't worth the effort to try and get any further answers so she just dropped the subject. Trina didn't seem like she wanted to say any more about it either.

*****

Evan and his men had gone straight to the Infirmary after returning their weapons to the armory. There weren't any unusual symptoms to report this time. They did not mention the static charge they received this time simply because none of them were feeling any effects from it that they could tell. There was no color or sound changes like the first time. Dr Lam found nothing wrong with any of them except a slight elevation in heart rate not unlike someone who had just completed a strenuous activity. She noted it on their charts and said to come back if they experienced anything unusual.

It was time for the mission debriefing. This was going to be interesting. Evan figured he would just give a summary of the first three days since they had checked in each day according to procedure and had reported what was going on, or more accurately what wasn't going on. It had been pretty quiet. He then moved on to the last few hours.

The med checks did not take the whole hour so Evan stopped on his way up to the conference room to give his wife a call and let her know he'd be home later this evening. He also wasn't 100% certain he was in his own reality and thought he'd try to get an idea where things stood before heading home.

*****

"Hello," she said.

"Hi, Kat. Just wanted to let you know I was back and should be home in a few hours." It was Evan. He didn't sound right.

"Hi, honey. You okay, you sound a little anxious? We're just sitting down to supper, I'll wait for you if you want."

"I'm fine, I'll tell you about it when I get home. Don't wait for me to eat, not sure how late I'll be. Wouldn't want you to starve. I'll either grab something here or heat up leftovers when I get home." He tried to sound light-hearted and relaxed.

"Alright, then. I'll see you later. Hey, do you have time to say hi to your daughter? If it gets too late she's liable to be asleep by the time you get home. I know she misses you."

"Sure, I always have time for her. Put her on."

"Trina, daddy's on the phone and wants to talk to you." She held the phone up to the little girl's ear.

"Hi, daddy. You were gone now your back."

"Hi, Peanut. Yes, I was gone but I'll be home soon. You might not be awake when I get home but I'll come in and give you a goodnight kiss anyway, okay? I love you, Trina. Can't wait to see you."

"Okay. Love you, too, daddy. Bye." She went back to eating.

"I'll see you soon, babe. If it's not too late, I'll call you when I leave. Love you."

"I'll leave the porch light on. I love you too. Bye." Kat put the phone down and sat looking at it for a few minutes before starting to eat.

*****

He hadn't been sure what to say for fear of being in another wrong reality but when she called him 'honey' and then offered to put their daughter on the phone he felt it was a giant step in the right direction

Evan and his men spent the next few hours recalling the several hours they had spent in an alternate reality on an alternate Earth. Evan had retrieved the camera from the other world Daniel. The general called their Daniel down to take a look at it. He was able to pretty much read it immediately and confirmed what the other Daniel had translated '_Portals of Life – Echoes in Time'. _They eventually called Dr Lee in. After much discussion, General Landry decided to put restrictions on travel to P39-429. While they would continue monitoring the Prior situation, all personnel would be given explicate orders to not go anywhere near the ancient garden. Hopefully they would avoid having the same situation occur again. The only problem seemed to be in making certain that no other reality ended up in their reality. There was nothing they could do about that, short of going back with some C4 and blowing the archways up and that was no guarantee.

When they finally finished telling their story and the general had made his decisions as to further travel to the planet, Evan and his men were dismissed to head home and get some much deserved and much needed rest. They already had the next three days off. General Landry gave them an extra two days.

"Daniel, hold up a minute," Evan said as they were filing out of the conference room.

"Sure. You've certainly had quite the day, my friend. I've been there. Not all that fun, is it?"

"You have no idea. I know you've been through that Quantum Mirror a time or two so you know a little of what it felt like. But I gotta tell you this was just too weird. Everything was so close to the same that it wasn't till I got home that I realized how truly screwed up my life was there." Evan went on to tell Daniel the little details of his time at _home _that he had not shared in the debriefing because he didn't feel they were relevant.

"Wow," was all Daniel could say. He had sympathized with Evan and his men for the experience they had been through since he knew a little of what it was like, but he had no idea the true extent of Evan's experience. "I'm sure that's going to make one heck of a tale to tell Kathy."

"Yeah, I know. This is what I wanted to talk to you about. I need to make sure before I get home that I'm in the right place. I mean my parents are still alive, right? I only have a young daughter, no teenage son, right? And Kat and I don't hate each other, do we?"

"Relax, Evan. I'm pretty sure you belong here. Check your wallet, I think you'll find you have at least half a dozen pictures of Kathy and Trina in there."

*****

Before Evan left Cheyenne Mountain he called home to let Kat know he was on his way. He had checked his wallet after retrieving it from his locker like Daniel suggested and found he was right. There were seven pictures of either his wife, his daughter or both of them together. There was even one of the three of them standing in front of the fireplace with the rock garden vase and the rose bouquet painting on the mantel behind them. Now he felt as if he was home.

It seemed like it took forever to get home and when he saw the house with the porch light on his heart almost skipped a beat. It looked and felt right this time.

When Evan walked in the door his wife met him with a hug and a kiss. He hugged her back and kissed her back, passionately. He held on for a long time and finally she pushed back. "You okay, honey? If this is how you greet me after being gone three days you can be gone three days more often," she teased him.

"It's a long story. Let's just say it's good to finally be back in my house with my wife and daughter. It's late, I assume Trina's asleep?"

"Yes, for a while now. She tried to stay awake but just couldn't make it."

"I need to see her. I'll try not to wake her but I have to see her."

"Sure, go ahead." Kat looked at him a little puzzled. "Did you eat? I can fix you up something while you look in on her."

"Ah, to be honest, I don't remember the last time I ate. Something to eat sounds good." He went down the hall to his daughter's room. He stood in the doorway watching her sleep. A night-light across from her bed dimly lit the room. He went in and stood there just watching her. He touched her little face and brushed her hair with his hand. She stirred slightly as if she knew he was there.

"Daddy," she said sleepily as she raised her arms to him asking to be picked up.

"Hi, Peanut. How's my girl?" He reached down, picked up the child, and held her close.

Kat had come to the door and was watching her husband and daughter. She didn't make a sound.

"You were gone then you came back. I'm glad you're back now. It wasn't nice where you were, was it?" It seemed like an odd question for the little girl to ask and Evan wasn't sure what to make of it but she was right about one thing, it wasn't nice where he had been.

"No, it wasn't. But I'm home now and home is the nicest place to be. Can you go back to sleep for daddy?" Evan kissed his daughter and gently laid her back in bed. He stood there looking at her.

"Okay. Night daddy."

Kat came into the room and stood by Evan. She put her arm around him and together they watched Trina as she fell back asleep. Then she whispered to him. "I love you."

He turned to her, took her in his arms again, and hugged her tight. "I love you, too." Finally he let her go and the two of them slowly walked out of the room and back to the kitchen. The microwave had gone off and Evan's supper was ready.

"So what was that all about 'I was gone but now I'm back'? Evan asked as he sat down at the table. Kat put his plate down and then sat next to him.

"It's was the weirdest thing, she came in while I was doing laundry this morning and basically announced that you were gone but you'd be back. And she did this." Kat raised her arms above her head in an arch just like Trina did to her. "Then she did the same thing late this afternoon as I was making supper only she said you were back. It wasn't like she was wondering where you were or asking anything it was all matter-of-fact information she was giving me." Evan put his fork down. "Honey, what's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost or something." She touched his arm. He had leaned back in the chair and on his face was an odd almost panicky look.

"About what time this morning did this take place?" He finally asked her.

"I don't know, maybe 10:30 or so. Why?"

"Remember when I called you said I sounded anxious and wondered if I was okay. I told you I'd tell you about it when I got home?"

"Yes. So what happened out there that has you so spooked?" She searched his face for some clue that would explain why he seemed so unsettled.

"Well, it's kind of a long story." Evan proceeded to tell Kat everything that happened to him from the time they found the ancient garden until the time he got home. He didn't leave anything out. He even told her he wasn't 100% sure he was in the right reality till he got home and saw her and Trina.

Kat sat there speechless. She wasn't sure what to say. She knew about the alternative reality concept. She knew about Daniel's experiences as well as a few other people. "Those poor people. I can't imagine losing a child that way. It was hard enough to lose one while I was still carrying him, but to watch the child grow and be a part of my life and then have it taken away in such a tragic way. I don't know how I'd handle it."

"I think the more disturbing thing for me," Evan said, "is thinking that I have the capability of being as big a jerk as I am there. I could never treat you the way he treats her."

"Honey, I don't believe, for one second you could ever be the same kind of man he is. For one thing our lives are very different than theirs. You said the Evan and Kat in that reality had been married for thirteen years, right? You also said they didn't go to Atlantis. It's obvious they haven't been through what you and I have. Sure, they've had their share of heartache, but they haven't had to endure the same painful events in their lives as we have in ours. We've been through a lot and we are as strong as ever. Right?" She stood up, went to him and sat on his lap. She hugged him. He hugged her back and kissed her.

"I know you're right, but to see the pain that she was going through because of his actions was heartbreaking. And then when I actually talked to him, he seemed happy that I had been there and made a mess of things and forced her to make the decision to get a divorce. I felt responsible and I wanted to crack the guy upside the head. If we had been able to meet face to face, I think the side effects of being there would have been the least of anyone's concern. Their Dr Lee was probably wise in not allowing us to be in the same room together in more ways than one."

Kat hugged him again then finally got up from his lap and asked if he wanted her to reheat his supper. It had been well over an hour that they talked and he had barely touched his food. He declined so she covered it and put it in the refrigerator. Evan took her hand and led her to the living room. He sat down on the couch. She sat down next to him. Evan put his arm around her shoulders and she laid her head on his chest.

Finally Kat spoke. "So you never really told me what was so significant about the time of day that Trina made her little announcements."

Evan sat quiet for a few minutes before answering. "Because about the times she was telling you I was gone and then came back was about the same times that I actually entered and came back from the alternate reality. There's almost a half-day time difference between the two planets. It's like she knew when I left and then when I came back. That's a little, well, creepy."

"That is weird."

They both sat in silence for a while. Finally he said, "You know, there are times Trina seems older than her age. And it's uncanny how she knows when things happen to one of us. I remember a couple months back when you had that car trouble and got stranded in the rain, she knew something was wrong before you even called."

"I remember that. When I called you asked what was wrong right away, like you knew something was. I never did ask you how you knew that. So she told you, huh?"

"This may be way off base and out there, but do you think it could be connected to our time in Atlantis at all?"

"That depends on what you think _it_ is, Evan. I mean I'll admit that a lot of strange and unexplainable things happened to us while we were there but what do you think that has to do with Trina?"

"Think about it, Kat. We both have the Ancient gene. It was one of the things that put you on the short list of candidates to be sent out there in the first place. So what if she got a double dose of Ancient gene and it—"

"What gave her super-powers? Honey, I'm sure there are millions of people out there whose parents both have the gene. Why don't other kids have the same connection with their parents or vice versa that Trina has with us?" Kat sounded skeptical.

"Who says they don't? Or maybe it's not _just_ the gene. Maybe it has to do with being in the city. You said it first, a lot of strange and unexplainable things happened there. Do you remember those couple of times I went down to the V.R. room with you after we found out you were pregnant with Trina? When you said it looked different?" Evan asked her.

"Yes, I remember. The hologram seemed different after I got pregnant; more illuminated, more life-like. I didn't really think much of it at the time. I just thought it was hormones or the anticipation of going back to Earth. I'd been going down to use the holographic interface to try and learn as much from the Ancients as I could even before then. I'd heard of mothers playing classical music, visiting art galleries, or reading Shakespeare to their unborn child in hopes to give them a head start on appreciating culture. So after I found out I was pregnant I thought maybe, if I kept going in there, our baby would absorb, so to speak, something of the Ancients and their culture and life. You don't think… I don't know… it enhanced the gene somehow to where she has a deeper bond with us? Or it gave her an Ancient sixth sense or something? Maybe she absorbed more than just knowledge."

"I don't know it's possible. I remember hearing a rumor that the hologram was really an Ascended Ancient. Heck anything there could have done it really. All I know is that she has known things and done things practically since the day she was born, things neither she nor us understand or can explain. I always knew she was special but I never realized just how special she might really be. I just thought I was being a typical father who thinks his kid is more exceptional than anyone else's. Maybe she truly is an exceptional child."

Kat and Evan sat in silence thinking about what might lie ahead for them and the child that had been conceived in the Pegasus Galaxy.

*****  
^^^


End file.
